


Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

by Ethril



Series: The Naga Series [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: But He Gets Better, Child Abuse, Creature Harry Potter, Creature Inheritance, Do Not Translate, Draco is a spoiled brat, Dumbledore Bashing, Found Family, GIVE IT TIME, Ghostly Intervention, Ginny Bashing, Good Dark Side, Good Malfoys, Good Severus Snape, Harry knows nothing about snakes, Hermione Bashing, M/M, Manipulative Dumbledore, Maybe - Freeform, Mild Swearing, Naga AU, Narcissa is kind, Possessive Voldemort, Protective Voldemort, Sirius is Dead, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Voldemort is sane, Without permission, courting, do not copy to another site, emotional harry, end of 5th year, instincts are a thing, kind of, mentioned mpreg, naive virgin Harry, only in the beginning, rated mature just in case, ronald bashing, snake bits, snake family, us measurements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:34:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 223,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24618421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethril/pseuds/Ethril
Summary: Harry's 5th year was probably the worst year of his life. First Voldemort happened, then Umbridge, then Voldemort AGAIN, and then Sirius died. Harry doesn't even have the time to properly mourn Sirius before he's shipped back to the Dursley's for the summer. He can't even think straight and with each passing day since losing Sirius, Harry feels more and more exhausted. By the time his 16th birthday rolls around, Uncle Vernon has to literally beat Harry just to wake him up.After a rather brutal beating given to him by his uncle on the eve of his birthday, Harry wakes to find something he had never thought possible. He wakes up to find a long snake tail instead of his legs. A few days later, his family abandons him in some random forest.What a wonderful way to start his 16th year of life after the worst year of his life.* Do not post to another site * Do not translate without permission *
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Series: The Naga Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139489
Comments: 2688
Kudos: 6635
Collections: Feral/Nonhuman Harry Fics, Greats fics currently ongoing, Harry Potter, Harry Potter Goes Away (Time travel/accidents/escapes and others), Harrymort/Tomarry Recs for the Soul, Started stories





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Snake Scales and Serpent Tails](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28706946) by [Kraytor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kraytor/pseuds/Kraytor)



> If you want to translate this fic, please contact me first for permission.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 1

There were a lot of things that Harry couldn’t really remember about the end of his fifth year; he couldn’t even remember most of what he had learned earlier in the year either. It felt like all of his memories had been hidden in a fog in his mind. Even his feelings seemed to be muted in that cloudy fog that had settled inside of him. 

After what had happened in the Department of Mysteries...Harry found it difficult to feel or do anything. 

His friends tried to help him, to support him, but it wasn’t enough to pull Harry out of the foggy empty feeling that had filled him. He just seemed to float from place to place in the castle going from one lesson to another until it was time to leave for the summer. 

Hermione would drag him to lessons, including the extra lectures that were offered on the weekends, while Ron would try to get him to play games of chess or exploding snap. Luna would sit next to Harry during meals and would hum gently. 

He just felt so empty, tired, and guilty. Nothing anyone did seemed to help him. Sirius was dead because Harry had made the decision to rush headlong into a situation he assumed to be reality even though Professor Snape had warned him all year that Voldemort would find a way to trick him. 

The exhaustion that plagued Harry got worse at the end of June as they boarded the train to return to London. 

Harry could hear his friends trying to comfort him, trying to pull him into a conversation, but he couldn’t seem to focus. He honestly didn’t want to focus. What was the point when the last person that he ever saw as family was dead?

He supposed Remus could be like an uncle, but other than when the older man had been teaching at Hogwarts, Harry hadn’t seen much of him. It was like the werewolf was avoiding him. Sirius had done more to be a part of Harry’s life even though he had been practically imprisoned in Grimmauld place. 

Ron and the Weasley’s could be considered a surrogate family for Harry, but their loud chaotic household had always felt foreign to Harry. He had enjoyed spending time with his best friend’s family, but it never felt like what he thought ‘home’ was supposed to feel like. 

No. The last of Harry’s family was dead and it was, once again, Harry’s fault. 

So what was the point of even trying to smile and talk with his friends? He just wanted to close his eyes, sleep, and pretend that Sirius was safely tucked away at Grimmauld place waiting for Harry to arrive for the summer. 

Sometime during the train ride, Hermione had changed the topic and was reminding everyone about something; something that they’d been told during a weekend lecture that Harry hadn’t been paying attention to. She was especially focused on him and Neville in the compartment, but Harry just turned his head to stare out the window. 

It was probably something about their OWL results or making sure to do their homework. Hermione always gave the same lecture on the train ride back to London.

He must have dozed off at some point because the next thing he knew, Ron was shaking his shoulder and telling him that the train had arrived. 

It still felt like Harry was wading through sludge as he stood up and grabbed his trunk off of the overhead compartment. His ears felt clogged up with cotton which made it difficult to hear anything anyone was saying to him. 

Harry felt his friends all give him hugs once they were off of the train before he watched each one drift away towards their families. 

Family…

The only ‘family’ he had left were the Dursley’s and Harry most definitely did NOT consider them family. If anything they were just a place to stay during the summer until he was able to get away for a while. 

Hermione was saying something again and looking at him worriedly. 

“I’ll be fine Hermione…Eventually.” Harry was only repeating what everyone had been telling him for the past week or so. Had it really been a week since Sirius had fallen through the veil at the DoM? 

“Write to us Harry, even if it’s at midnight. We’re your friends and we’ll always be there for you.” Hermione grabbed Harry again and hugged him tightly. She handed him a slip of paper with a series of numbers. “If you need to talk, just give me a call alright?” She practically begged him. 

Harry tucked the little slip of paper into his pocket and he nodded mechanically. He seriously doubted the Dursley’s would ever allow him to use their phone, but it was a nice gesture from Hermione. 

In the back of his mind though, Harry had to wonder why this was the first time Hermione had ever given him her phone number. They’d known each other for years and she knew he lived with his muggle relatives. She knew he would know how to use a phone and that he would, possibly, have access to one. 

As quickly as that thought came, it was gone leaving Harry feeling muddled and tired again. 

“Come on kid.” Tonks was standing next to Harry all of a sudden, her hand on his shoulder. She seemed subdued as she gently turned him away from Hermione and towards the platform exit. Even her hair, normally a cheery bubblegum pink, was a dull brown. “Your uncle is waiting outside the platform.” 

Tonks wasn’t the only one there to escort Harry. A couple other Order members walked with Harry out into the muggle side of the train station. Sure enough Vernon Dursley was standing there in his obese anger filled glory. 

Harry was too out of it to stop the adults from going to Vernon to inform him about the death of Harry’s godfather. He was too out of it to remember that the only reason the Dursley’s hadn’t been ruining his summers these last couple years had been because of the threat of his escaped convict godfather. 

He didn’t even consider how much worse things could get once Vernon knew the truth about Sirius. If he had been thinking, he would have asked everyone to not tell his relatives, that he would tell them himself once they were home. In reality he would have never told the Dursley’s the truth.

The only thought that Harry had at the time, was that time was a rather funny thing. He was exhausted and he knew it’d been almost an hour since they’d left the train station, and yet it felt like just a few minutes had passed by. 

“Well  _ boy _ .” Harry slowly turned where he was standing in the hallway of his aunt and uncle’s house when he heard his uncle’s hate filled words. “Looks like you’re all alone in this world. Again.” 

The vindictive smile that stretched his uncle’s disgustingly thick lips sent shivers down Harry’s spine. For a moment Harry didn’t feel empty or tired; he felt afraid. 

It was a funny thing to Harry. Voldemort wasn’t half as frightening as Vernon Dursley was in that moment. 

“The freaks said your criminal godfather is dead. They said to give you some  _ space _ and  _ support.” _ Vernon laughed coldly, his muddy blue eyes never leaving Harry’s thin frame. “This is all the  _ support _ you’ll get from me boy.” 

Harry tried to dodge the hand that lashed out, expecting it to be a slap or a punch. Instead it turned out that his uncle had been lunging to grab him by the collar of his shirt. 

His uncle caught him and proceeded to drag him through the hallway. Harry struggled weakly and clawed at his shirt trying to get it loose from his uncle’s iron grip as the collar drove itself into Harry’s throat. 

It took him all of a second to realize just where his uncle was dragging him to. 

“You’ll stay here until I say so!” Vernon shouted as he wrenched the cupboard door open so hard that it banged on the wall it was attached to. Harry was thrown into the cramped space and then the door was slammed shut. 

The sounds of locks being clicked tight were the only things Harry heard for several minutes as he curled up on the thin ratty mattress that his aunt and uncle had never thrown out. 

At least his uncle hadn’t hit him. Harry had survived 11 years in the tiny cupboard, he could survive the summer in it. 

He hoped so at least. 

Now that Sirius was dead and his uncle knew about it, Harry felt real concern for his safety. 

‘ _ What’s the point though? Worrying?’ _ Harry thought to himself sadly as he carefully pushed a few of the cleaning tools as far from his little bed as he could. ‘ _ I’ve got nothing to live for now...not really.’ _

That’s what it felt like. The promise Sirius had made to Harry just a few short years ago to give him a real home to live in, away from his aunt and uncle, had been the one thing Harry had been looking forward to in his life. A home with Sirius was supposed to have been his forever home, even after graduating from Hogwarts. 

That hope, that dream, had been ripped away from Harry the moment he understood Sirius was dead. 

So what did Harry have to live for now? School? He had two years left of school and then he’d be forced to try and be an adult when Harry had no idea how he was supposed to do that. His friends? As much as he loved Ron and Hermione...lately it felt like he was more like a third wheel in their friendship rather than a part of their trio. Looking forward to quidditch was laughable. Harry had lost his love of the sport sometime during the year without even noticing. 

He had nothing.

Harry didn’t even know if he had the war to focus on. Dumbledore had been practically ignoring him all year and no one in the order had ever told him anything. Only Sirius had ever passed him notes and had tried to prepare him. 

What was the point of being worried about how his uncle would treat him when Harry had nothing to live for or look forward to? His uncle could beat him to death and Harry doubted he would even fight back at this point. 

There really wasn’t a point to fight back. 

A part of him even hoped that Voldemort or one of his masked minions would show up and just end everything for Harry. At least then he would be with his parents and Sirius. 

Harry choked and quickly covered his mouth with his hands to keep the sound as muffled as possible. 

Did he...did he really want to die? 

At one point during his mental ramblings and morbid thoughts Harry heard the front door slam open and something heavy being dragged into the house. It had to be his trunk. Usually his uncle locked it up in the cupboard, but with Harry currently occupying the space he had no idea where his uncle would put the burdensome luggage. 

The answer came quickly as Harry heard the door to the basement being yanked open and then his trunk being pushed down the stairs. Harry winced at each loud thunk against a stair step and he prayed that his trunk would still be in reasonable shape after it had landed on the floor of the basement. 

Hours must have passed before he finally heard the locks on the cupboard door being undone. The cupboard door was thrust open once more and Harry had to cover his eyes against the glaring white hall light. 

With his eyes covered, Harry failed to see the fat hand coming at him to grab at his shirt collar again. He was pulled from the tiny space and Harry whacked his knees against the floor as he tumbled free. 

“Make dinner boy.” Vernon spat out in disgust at Harry, spittle flying from his lips. “Now!”

Harry waited until his uncle was turned away before wiping his face to get his uncle’s gross saliva off of his skin. He went on autopilot and cooked up a typical dinner for his relatives. 

Predictably Harry was not allowed to eat even though he had quickly and efficiently cooked a full course meal for his three relatives. Instead he was forced to watch in the corner as his fat uncle and cousin stuffed their faces and his aunt daintily ate a few small bites at a time. 

Thankfully Harry wasn’t locked back into the cupboard again. His aunt seemed to have a small amount of pity for him and while his uncle was distracted with the television, Harry was sent down to the basement to get his trunk and drag it back up the stairs. Thankfully his trunk had survived the tumble down the basement stairs with only a few dings and dents. His aunt allowed him to grab a few of his clothes and toiletries from his trunk before locking it in the cupboard just like all the previous summers. 

Harry had been able to sneakily grab his school bag to carry his things, which also included a few of his school books, his wand, and his invisibility cloak, before being escorted up to Dudley’s second bedroom to be locked in for the night. 

It was a miracle that Harry was able to get his wand and some of his school books up to the bedroom without his relatives noticing. At least if anything happened Harry would have his wand in an emergency. 

He did wish he’d been able to grab his photo album though...

* * *

Life at the Dursley’s was meaningless. Harry did his chores on autopilot and he didn’t even notice most of the time when he was actually working. He didn’t even seem to notice whenever his uncle would hit him or when his aunt would yell at him. One day bled into the next and Harry considered it a ‘good’ day if he didn’t think about what death would be like. 

He caught himself a few times, staring wistfully at a kitchen knife or at the garden shears. He even stared at his uncle’s razor once before forcing himself to look away. 

Even though his aunt gave him food, as sparse and bland as a piece of bread and water were, Harry found it hard to eat. Sometimes he willingly didn’t eat what he was given. Self starvation was a new experience for Harry, but some days he couldn’t bring himself to try to eat. He would just end up staring at the food in his hands until he would hide it away to try again later.

Time passed both slowly and quickly for Harry. The empty feeling started to go away, but the strange exhaustion never left him. If anything he started to feel even more tired the closer he got to his birthday. It took some serious banging on the bedroom door in the mornings to get him up and even then his uncle had to storm into the room to drag Harry out of bed. 

Harry did force himself to write to Ron and Hermione every few days, even if it was just a few words on a page to tell them that he was still alive. What was strange though was that he got nothing in return. It was like the end of the summers after his first and fourth years all over again with how silent his friends were. 

It was starting to worry Harry after the second week at the Dursley’s. One day, while his aunt and uncle were out and Dudley was at the park with his friends, Harry had quickly dialed Hermione’s number on the downstairs phone. 

Her father was the one to answer, but he had quickly informed Harry that Hermione was staying at a friend’s house for the rest of the summer. The kind man had apologized several times to Harry, which Harry had accepted hollowly, before the call ended. 

The summer was only two weeks in and Hermione had already left her home to be with a friend? The only person Harry could think that Hermione would go to was Ron…

Why hadn’t she told him? Why had she given him her home phone number if she’d been planning on going to Ron’s so quickly into the summer? 

Why hadn’t any of his friends written to him? 

The empty feeling, which had slowly started to go away, returned tenfold. His friends had abandoned him after telling him that they would be there to support him no matter what. Had they been lying to him thinking that he wouldn’t work up the strength to communicate? Or perhaps...perhaps his letters were being intercepted!

Maybe a Death Eater had gotten hold of his letters! But, if that were the case then why keep Hedwig alive? If they were going to use her to track him, why hadn’t they? They could have easily followed her back to Privet drive and found him, and yet they hadn’t. 

He wasn’t even getting his Daily Prophet subscription. 

Harry wanted to think about what was going on, but he felt so tired. Even when he fought through the muddled feeling in his head to try and organize his thoughts, he couldn’t. He felt like he was trying to put together a puzzle while blindfolded, in the dark, with missing pieces. 

At least the exhaustion that he felt, that filled his entire being, kept him from having any nightmares. He didn’t even have any nightmare fueled visions from Voldemort. It was the only positive thing to happen to Harry after what had happened to Sirius. 

His exhaustion came in waves that would build up and crash into him. Harry would be working at a chore one moment and the next he would be toppling over in a faint only to be woken up sharply by one of his relatives; usually with a kick to his chest. 

The exhaustion was at its worst the day before his birthday. He didn’t even wake up when his uncle came storming into the bedroom and pulled him out of bed and onto the floor. Harry didn’t wake up until the second or third kick his uncle delivered to his chest and stomach. It was the sharp pain of one of his ribs breaking that finally pulled him from his dreamless sleep. 

“Useless  _ freak _ .” Vernon snarled at Harry as he lashed out his foot to collide with Harry’s unprotected stomach. “After everything we’ve done for you! Clothed you!” Another kick landed in his stomach. “Fed you!” The next would have landed in his groin had Harry not pulled his legs up to protect himself. “Provided a roof over your ungrateful head.” He brought his foot back before sending it flying towards Harry’s head. 

Harry had one arm wrapped around his head and the other around his chest to try and protect the already broken rib so it didn’t get even more damaged. 

“This is how you repay us?! By lazing about in the room we so graciously lend you. Sleeping through the morning and afternoon when you have chores that need to be done.” Another kick slammed into Harry’s arm that was protecting his chest. “You want to stay in this room and do nothing?! Well fine! You’ll stay in here for the rest of the summer and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep  _ quiet.” _

Several more kicks landed on various parts of Harry’s aching body until his uncle finally grew tired of injuring his nephew and stormed out. 

A solid wall of pain radiated from every spot that his uncle’s large foot had connected to. His arms and legs were badly bruised, possibly fractured, there was a sharp stabbing pain in his chest where he knew there was at least a broken rib, and he felt like he was going to be sick from the painful tightness in his stomach. He could barely suck in enough air to breath.

At least Harry had protected himself enough so that his more sensitive body parts were uninjured. He was also fairly sure he’d avoided any blows to his head, but it was hard to tell as his vision was swimming and he couldn’t even lift his head. At least one eye was beginning to swell shut already from the initial punch his uncle had landed before throwing him to the floor. His entire body felt like it was being pressed into the floor by heavy weights. 

A single choked sob left Harry as he fought to sit up, using his narrow cot to brace himself. It was slow going and Harry fell back to the floor several times before he was finally able to sit up and stay up. He knew from experience it would be better to lay on the cot instead of on the floor while he was trapped in the room. 

Thankfully Hedwig was out delivering yet another letter so she’d avoided any of Vernon’s ire. 

Harry had to focus on keeping his breathing shallow so as not to exacerbate his broken rib. When he tried to flex his right hand he ended up hissing and bringing it in close to his stomach to hold it. 

His uncle must have broken one of the bones in his hand while kicking him. Using his hand for anything would be impossible until it was healed enough to at least uncurl his fingers. Every time he tried to even twitch his hand a shock of pain had him cringing and sobbing softly. 

The injuries weren’t as bad as they could have been; Uncle Vernon had done a lot worse in the past to Harry. He was still in pain though and he knew he would actually be useless for the next few days until his magic took control and had healed him up enough. 

He thanked whatever god that might actually be around for the existence of magic.

Did he want to heal up though? If he stayed injured maybe he would get an infection and die. He’d gotten infections in the past, but his aunt had usually found him and taken him to the clinic before the infections could get past the point of healing. 

Getting an infection, multiple infections by how many injuries he now sported, would mean his death would be long, drawn out, and painful, but at least he would be dead.

Painkillers. Harry suddenly remembered he’d hidden painkillers last summer under the loose floorboard under his bed. If he could get to them then he could at least take some of the edge off. 

But they were literally under his bed and it would require him to get flat on his stomach to reach far enough under the bed to wiggle the loose floorboard up. With his stomach and chest both aching from sharp stabs of pain, it would be nearly impossible for him to lie flat. 

He’d tried once to get the floorboard up while on his back and he’d only ended up wrenching his shoulder out of place. 

For several long minutes Harry debated the pros and cons of getting to his pill stash. In the end he sighed tiredly and gently set his head back to rest it against the edge of his cot. The exhaustion that had been plaguing him for over a month was washing over him again and he was having a hard time trying to motivate himself to even get onto his cot let alone under it. 

Harry was also finding it hard to breath and he really hoped he didn’t have a collapsed lung or something. It’d never happened before, but having spent as much time in the Hospital wing as he had, Harry had seen and heard about all sorts of injuries. 

Staying propped up against his cot on the floor would definitely not help him at all if he fell asleep like that. Maybe he’d be able to sleep deeply enough so he wouldn’t feel any of the pain? 

After what felt like an eternity, Harry was able to shake off enough of the exhaustion to weakly and painfully pull himself up onto the cot with his least injured arm. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he tasted blood from biting his lip so hard to keep from whimpering. 

Almost as soon as he was laying on the cot, as comfortably as he could, Harry felt his eyes flutter shut and the exhaustion crash into him. 

The all consuming darkness settled over him and Harry let out a relieved sigh as the exhaustion induced sleep numbed the pain to manageable levels. 

Harry was hopeful that his uncle would keep to his threat and leave him alone for the rest of the day so he could get some sleep. 

* * *

For what felt like an eternity and a day, Harry slept. His mind was blissfully dream free which left him almost floating in a hazy paradise of nothingness. There were no thoughts, no memories, no feelings, and most importantly no pain. He could just feel himself floating in the hazy nothingness where time didn’t exist.

It’s what Harry imagined meditating would be like, had he ever succeeded in learning how to do so during Snape’s lessons. 

There was a sense of peace and comfort in the nothingness. It stirred a vague memory of a feeling that Harry couldn’t quite place. A phantom feeling of arms wrapped around him, holding him, passed over him. 

A gentle thumping sound whispered against his ear and Harry whimpered softly as he tried to lean into the sound. It reminded him of a heartbeat. 

“My darling boy.” 

The voice that spoke was gentle, soft, and filled with so much love. Harry felt an ache in his heart and he tried desperately to open his eyes. He had to see the person the voice belonged to. Such a sweet warm voice had to belong to an angel. 

“It’s not time yet baby.” 

The phantom arms around Harry tightened ever so slightly and Harry’s ear was pressed once more against the thumping heartbeat. It felt like a hand was covering Harry’s eyes keeping him from seeing who it was that was holding him.

“You’ve been so brave, baby boy. I’m so sorry you’ve had to be so brave.” 

Harry wanted to tell whoever it was that was holding him not to sound so sad. He had never minded being brave. Being brave had given him a home in Gryffindor with friends he cared about. 

“You need to be brave for a little longer.” 

Another voice joined the first, this one deeper with a hint of laughter in those soft words. 

“It won’t be long until  _ he _ finds you.  _ He  _ can give you all the happiness and love you deserve.” 

It would be nice to be happy, at least that’s what Harry believed. He had thought he had known happiness at Hogwarts, with his friends, but the voice made it sound like there was so much more happiness to be had. Whoever this ‘he’ was, Harry could feel himself actually getting excited to meet him. 

But...finding who  _ ‘he _ ’ was meant leaving the peaceful nothingness. These two really nice people, that spoke so kindly to him, that held him and made him feel safe and loved, were here in the nothingness. 

Leaving would mean leaving these two people. Harry felt his heart lurch and he whimpered softly. He didn’t want to leave them! Not again!

“Oh, baby, I know!” 

The first sweet voice whispered sadly. He heard the voice sob ever so softly. 

A twinge of pain in Harry’s chest interrupted his thoughts. The thumping heartbeat against his ear was getting dimmer and he couldn’t quite feel the arms around him. 

“We’ve done what we can. We need to let him go.” 

The second person was still covering Harry’s eyes, but he sounded like he wasn’t even speaking to Harry. 

“I-I know.” 

Harry felt the pain in his chest getting stronger and he tried to cling to the arms holding him. 

“Give me another minute! Just a moment more. Please!”

“We can’t. We can’t linger without putting him in danger.” 

“I’m sorry baby. I’m so sorry. Everything’s going to change now baby and you’re going to be so confused.” 

The voices were fading and Harry could no longer feel the arms around him. 

“Follow your heart baby, no matter what anyone says!” 

A sharp stab of pain jerked Harry suddenly out of the hazy nothingness he had been floating in and he found himself laying out on the cot in Dudley’s second bedroom. His heart was racing and his eyes were frantically darting around searching for any sort of danger that might be lying in wait.

_ “We love you.” _

Those three little words were full of nothing but love. They whispered through the room like a tiny puff of air. They left Harry feeling warm, but also incredibly lonely. 

He had to swiftly cover his mouth to keep from sobbing. Now that he was awake he knew exactly who he had been dreaming of. It’d been such a long time since he’d dreamt of his parents, but never had the dreams been so emotional for him. 

Harry sobbed for a few minutes more, but not because he was sad. There had been so much love and warmth in that dream that it had pushed out all of the emotional pain he’d been feeling since the end of school. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so much love. It left him wanting, needing to feel it again. 

His sobs eventually tapered off until Harry was more aware of his surroundings and his body. 

There was still pain there, but it was dull and distant, as if he had been healing for several weeks. He knew his aunt and uncle would have never let him sleep for a week which meant his magic had been working over time. 

It would explain the heavy silent buzzing in the air around him. He’d found that when lots of magic was used in a single place in a short amount of time, it left the air charged up as if a summer storm was coming on. 

Harry lifted his right hand up from his mouth and got a good look at it in the moonlight filtering in from his window. There was light yellow bruising, but otherwise his hand was in pretty good shape again. 

Slowly, with careful movements in case his injuries weren’t as healed as he hoped, Harry checked over every place his uncle had kicked and hit. He started with the top of his head and then gently tapped around the eye that had been swelling. 

There was some soreness here and there, especially where he’d broken a rib, but for the most part he was healed. 

Harry sat up on his cot, groaning softly as he forced his stiff body to move. He needed to check his legs still. He fumbled for a moment to get himself steady; he was having a hard time staying sitting up and his legs felt completely numb. 

It would be just his luck if all his other injuries had healed and his legs were still in bad shape. It didn’t help that even with the light from the moon it was still hard to see. 

He placed his hands gently, gingerly down onto his upper thighs. He knew his groin had, thankfully, been uninjured in his uncle’s attack so he wouldn’t need to check there as embarrassing as it would be. 

“What the hell?” Harry whispered when his hands grabbed onto the shredded remains of the smallest pair of jeans he’d inherited from Dudley; which were still so baggy on Harry that he had needed to keep them tied on using an old belt double looped around his waist. 

Green eyes squinted into the darkness as he grabbed the shreds of his jeans and lifted them away. Had his uncle attacked him using a knife?! He hadn’t felt himself bleeding earlier, but then why were his pants destroyed?

With the rags of his pants finally removed, and tossed them to the floor to be looked at in the morning, Harry pressed his hands against his legs to try and feel any cuts or gashes. 

All movement stilled as Harry’s hands came into contact with what he could only describe as a smooth, cool, strangely textured surface. He rubbed at his legs trying to figure out what he was feeling. Whatever it was that was covering his legs felt a lot like his dragonscale gloves. 

Harry tried to move his legs, but found they had been bound together. 

A cold chill dipped down his spine and Harry started feeling his legs faster and with desperation. His hands pressed to where there should be a gap between his legs, but instead he just kept pressing against the smooth scaly surface that was binding his legs together. 

“What the hell?!” Harry was shaking as he tried to find the edge of whatever was wrapped around him. Dudley must have snuck into his room after he’d collapsed and done something!

He found the edge of the textured covering a couple inches below his belly button. It was completely flat against his skin and no matter how hard Harry tried to get his fingers underneath what he assumed was some kind of skin tight slip, he just couldn’t get it to lift away from his skin. 

Harry was completely and utterly panicked by that point. Not even Dudley was smart enough to come up with a prank as complex as this. It didn’t even feel like the thing, whatever it was, had been glued down. It was just too smooth of a transition from skin to...to scales. 

He needed light. Real light and not just what was coming in through his window. Harry didn’t even care if he woke up the neighbors or his aunt and uncle, he needed to see what the hell had happened to him!

Even with his legs bound together, Harry still had some movement available to him. He grunted softly as he squirmed and rolled over so that he could reach down to the floor with his hands. He couldn’t rely on his legs to kneel off of the cot; he would have to army crawl off his cot. 

The escape from his cot was inelegant and graceless. Harry practically tumbled off the short cot and onto the floor. It was a good thing he hadn’t been able to get under his blanket, otherwise he would have been horribly tangled up with it. 

“Shit.” The landing had jerked Harry’s chest and even though the rib had healed it was still stiff and sore. 

Harry did his best to crawl away from his cot and he made it halfway to the door where his light switch was located before he tentatively glanced back at his legs. 

His vision blurred and had it been lighter in his room he might have noticed his skin rapidly losing color. 

Instead of staring at legs that were tied together by some weird scaly leather thing, he found what looked like a long tubular object stretching from his waist back up to the bed where it tapered into a fine point. 

“WHAT THE HELL?!” 

Too stunned to even think about keeping himself quiet, Harry practically screeched. Instead of legs, he had a tail. A snake tail. A snake tail that was moving and slashing around starting from his waist all the way down to the tip. 

Harry was so confused and distracted by his tail that he failed to notice that he’d turned 16 almost 3 hours ago.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's 16th birthday wasn't at all what he was expecting it would be. Sure he had expected his relatives to beat him, belittle him, and make his life even more miserable than it already was, maybe he was even hoping for a few presents from his friends. Instead Harry woke up to find that instead of a pair of legs, he had a long serpent tail. 
> 
> Now he not only had to deal with his relatives, but also turning into some sort of half snake creature! It was just what he needed in his life; more bad luck. With Hedwig out delivering his letters and no way for Harry to contact anyone from the order, he had no idea what to do. He didn't even know what sort of creature he was! 
> 
> To make matters worse, he can hear his uncle and aunt arguing over what to do about him.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 2

His screaming had immediate consequences. Harry’s uncle had slammed open his own bedroom door and had raced down the hall to where Harry was locked into Dudley’s second bedroom. 

Harry crawled away from the door and to the wall opposite from his cot, trying to get as far away from his cot as he could get. He whimpered weakly, but couldn’t look away from the tail that had replaced his legs and was stretching across the room. 

“What did I tell you, you _freak_!” His uncle was yelling as he fumbled with the locks on the door. “Do I need to beat your mouth bloody before you learn to be SILENT?” 

The door was wrenched open and light from the hall filled the small room. Time stood still as his uncle stood there in the doorway, too shocked to move or say anything as instead of finding his beaten and battered nephew on the floor, he found what looked like a giant snake stretching from one end of the room to the other. 

With the light of the hallway Harry got his first clear look at his new tail. His tail was a beautiful deep emerald color with black edges around each scale. The scales glittered as if covered in diamond dust every time he shifted. He hadn’t noticed before, but there were scales spattered along his sides and his belly button. There were even a few patches of scales dotting his arms and collar bone. 

“What did you do _freak!”_

His uncle’s disgusted yell ripped Harry from his awed staring and he jerked around to stare fearfully up at his uncle. 

“N-nothing! Honest uncle V-Vernon!” Harry gasped out quickly. His tail reacted to his fear and it slipped swiftly off of the cot the rest of the way to curl and coil around him. “I d-don’t know-”

“SHUT UP FREAK!” Vernon yelled as he stomped into the room, his fist raised dangerously high before him. He was about to strike his nephew before he froze. He had never wanted to touch the boy before this had happened, now that the boy was an even bigger freak Vernon couldn’t bring himself to even hit him. He shivered in disgust and gagged at the idea of touching him even to hit him. 

As soon as his uncle had started advancing on him, Harry had covered his head with his arms. He clenched his eyes closed and waited for the impending blows, but when none came he hesitantly and fearfully opened one eye to peak out. 

His uncle was just standing there, frozen, for a moment before he spat a globual of saliva at Harry and stormed out of the room. Just before the door was slammed shut Harry spotted his very pale and shaking aunt standing in the hall. 

Harry hadn’t been blind over the years. He knew his relatives had all been afraid of him, especially after what he had done the summer before his third year, but that had never stopped them from hitting him. 

Did his new tail really frighten his uncle so much that the man couldn’t bring himself to even get close? It was probably more likely that his uncle was worried about catching whatever new freakishness that Harry had contracted. 

What was he going to do now though? He had a fricken tail in place of his legs and there were scales all over his body! It had taken him a moment to realize it, but he was definitely not wearing his glasses even though he was seeing perfectly for the first time ever. What did his face look like? 

And...and what happened to his bits?! Because they definitely weren’t where they were supposed to be. 

Knowing what little he did about snake anatomy, Harry wasn’t certain he wanted to check to see where his bits might have ended up. 

If Hedwig had been home he would have sent her off to find help. Harry was sure Dumbledore or someone else from the Order would know what the hell was going on and how to fix it. Then again…

What if...whatever had happened to Harry wasn’t something that could be fixed? He vaguely remembered some sort of half snake, half human creature in one of the creature books he and Hermione had read back in their second year. What he could remember mentioned how the creature was dark and had been driven out of the British isles generations ago. 

People had really freaked out when it had gotten out that he was a parselmouth in his second year. He could only just imagine what sort of reaction people would have to finding out he was some sort of snake creature. They would probably lump him into the same category as Voldemort. 

Harry whimpered softly and bent his tail up so he could hug it as if he were hugging his knees. People would probably say he was turning into another Dark Lord and would hunt him down. They probably wouldn’t even give him a chance to explain before attacking him. He whimpered again and a small sob slipped past his lips as he buried his face in his tail. 

Ron had a really bad reaction to Harry’s parseltongue ability back in second year. He’d abandoned Harry in their fourth year all because he refused to listen to Harry. It wouldn’t be too much of a leap to think that Ron would abandon him again now that Harry wasn’t as ‘light’ as he should have been. 

Hermione might help! At least that’s what Harry hoped, but a small voice in the back of his head whispered that she would only want to help so she could study him. She only ever seemed helpful and friendly when there was something she wanted; any other time and she was just bossy and controlling. 

‘No!’ Harry yelled at himself as he shook his head violently. ‘They’re my friends, they’ll help me with this.’ He knew they would. Their friendship had been tested time and time again and still they always came together when it mattered. 

Again that little voice spoke up and asked one, single, simple question: ‘But what if they don’t?’

It didn’t matter at the moment whether or not they would help. Harry had no way of getting in contact with them while Hedwig was off delivering letters. Hermione wasn’t at her parents house so he couldn’t call her even if he wasn’t locked in the room. And it wasn’t like anyone in the Order had given him a way to contact someone incase of an emergency. 

What sort of adults did that anyway? They expected him to be super safe with his relatives, but they didn’t think to give him an emergency portkey or some sort of communication device to call for help? Even Hermione had come up with coins to send short messages to the DA last year. 

The galleon! He couldn’t remember whether or not he’d left it in his school bag, but it was worth a shot. 

It was weird trying to stand up when he didn’t have legs. Harry turned so that he had his hands pressed against the floor before trying to get his tail under him to push himself up. He was able to get himself into a hunched standing form by pressing one hand against the wall next to him for support. 

The feeling of controlling such a long appendage was indescribable. When he tried to think about moving, to think about what he was feeling, his tail kind of went numb. He could kind of feel where the joints in his tail were, along his spine, and when he tightened the muscles in his tail he could definitely feel it, but all that information didn’t exactly help him with moving. 

“Damn it.” Harry cursed softly as he pushed away from the wall and tried to lunge forward at the same moment he tried to slither like he’d seen real snakes do. 

He ended up flat on the ground with his nose smarting from where it had impacted the floor. 

How on earth did snakes make slithering look so easy?!

With a huff of annoyance Harry ended up partially crawling along the floor using his hands to pull himself along back to the cot. Along the way he was able to make a decent estimate of just how long his new tail was. It had to be nearly 7 feet long seeing as how the room was less than 10 feet by 10 feet. Harry ended up crawling over the end of his tail, which was the weirdest thing he had ever felt; scales on scales had him shivering and not in a bad way. 

The moment he had been sent up to Dudley’s second room with his bag, Harry had hidden all of his belongings that weren’t clothes under the loose floorboard along with the painkillers he’d stashed there last year. 

Now that his chest and stomach weren’t hurting badly, he was able to flatten himself down and wiggle himself under his cot. After a couple soft hisses of irritation, Harry was able to get his bag free from under his cot. 

He set his bag down on his cot only to curse softly. With the bedroom door closed he had lost the light from the hall. The moon had also dipped away from his window so he didn’t even have that light to try and see things. 

“I thought snakes could see in the dark?” Harry whispered, his words partially slipping into parseltongue without his notice. He hissed again in annoyance only to stop short when he actually heard himself. 

When he’d been real little, Harry knew he’d hissed quite a bit. That lisp had turned into hissing whenever Harry had stopped paying attention to his speech. His aunt Petunia had hated that lisp with a passion and had beaten him until Harry had gotten it under control. 

She’d refused to let him start primary school until he’d learned how to speak without hissing. 

Now he was hissing again and it was definitely not because of a lisp. 

With a wince, Harry stuck out his tongue and slowly reached up to touch it. He jerked his hand away when he felt the newly developed split in his tongue. It wasn’t exactly forked, not like a real snake, but it would definitely contribute to why he was hissing and lisping again. 

His hissing problem would not fix his light problem though, and he needed light in order to look and see if he’d been smart enough to stick the fake galleon into his school bag before leaving Hogwarts for the summer. 

Getting over to the cot had been hard enough, but he was not looking forward to crawling over to the door, pulling himself up along the wall, all so he could reach the light switch. 

An idea came to Harry and he glanced down the length of his tail. Snakes were supposed to be really dexterous with their tails so in theory he should be able to get his tail over to the light switch and use the tip to flick the light on. 

In theory. 

When he tried to get his tail to move over to the front wall, the new appendage ended up just wriggling and writhing on the floor for a little bit while he tried to work out how the muscles moved. The further down his tail was though, the less control he seemed to have. At one point his tail got tangled up around itself and Harry had to stop to try and untangle the new appendage with his hands. As he fought with the writhing new limb, he caught himself petting at the sparkling emerald green scales. Harry pulled his hands away to stop himself from petting his new tail.

In the end Harry just gave up with his idea to use his tail to turn on the light and just did the crawling, worm wiggle, thing he’d done to get to the cot. He was able to get the light on in the end and that was all that mattered. 

He grumbled to himself as he crawled his way back to his cot once the light was on. 

Relearning how to walk...slither...was definitely high on the list of things he needed to do. The crawling thing was slow and tedious and definitely made him into a target. 

“Please be here.” Harry whispered as he opened up his school bag and started pulling things out. He stacked his school books up after checking that the coin hadn’t gotten lodged between pages. He shook his invisibility cloak out before refolding it and setting it next to his books. As he was holding his wand Harry realized he was going to need to find a new way to carry it, seeing as how he wouldn’t have pants pockets anymore. 

When his bag was empty Harry turned it over and shook it. A few candy wrappers and broken quills fell out, and a half empty bottle of ink, but the coin was not there. 

“Damn it!” A long drawn out hiss came out from between his lips and Harry didn’t even try to stop it this time. He was so angry with himself for misplacing that stupid Galleon. The last time he had seen it, he’d used it to get the DA’s help to go to the Department of Mysteries. For all he knew it had gotten lost during the chaotic battle. 

He swallowed hard as memories of that day assaulted him. Harry shook his head hard to try and dispel the mental images of Sirius falling through the veil. There wasn’t time to get depressed and to wallow in despair! After he figured out what the hell was going on he’d go back to missing Sirius. 

If Sirius were still alive, Harry knew he would know what was going on. 

“Stop it.” Harry hissed at himself as he stuffed all his belongings back into his school bag, except for a single sheet of parchment. He figured writing down his thoughts might make things easier to organize. Maybe something had happened back in the Department of Mysteries that he had missed; a curse that he’d been hit with or something weird falling on him. 

He awkwardly pulled the chair out from his desk and pulled himself up into the seat. At least he could still sit relatively normal; even if the rest of his tail unconsciously coiled around the legs of the chair. 

For a long time Harry sat in the chair and recounted what had happened in the DoM, but nothing worthwhile came to mind. The few spells that had hit him were all identifiable and he had been healed of their damage. Other than the prophecy orbs he couldn’t remember anything else falling on him or spilling on him. 

Reluctantly, Harry decided that whatever had happened to him was not because of the DoM debacle. 

He sorted through the blurry memories of the last week of school. He’d been so out of it that he hadn’t been paying attention to anything. It had been like he had been sleep walking. 

The pen he had been holding and twiddling around with his fingers was thrown down in his frustration. Why was his mind suddenly so clear now when it’d been foggy and muddled for so long? He could barely remember the last few days leading up to his uncle beating him black and blue. 

Seeing as how he wasn’t about to figure out what had led up to his sudden change, Harry decided to make a list of things that he needed to do from that point on. The first thing he wrote down: ‘Learn to walk/slither(?)’. 

It was vital that he learn how to move with the tail if he was ever going to protect himself. 

He wrote down a list of people that might be able to help him before slowing crossing off one name after another. Harry had no idea who he could trust and who he couldn’t. Every time he tried to convince himself that Ron and Hermione would be there for him, as best friends were supposed to, another voice in his head told him that they couldn’t be trusted. 

Harry wanted to write down Dumbledore’s name, but after what happened last year...he sadly, with tears in his eyes, crossed out the headmaster’s name. As much as he wanted to trust the man, Dumbledore had turned his back on Harry when he had needed him the most. 

Perhaps Professor Snape might be able to help? Sure the man hated Harry, but he had never actually lied to him before. Harry could trust Snape to at least not try to kill him if he asked for help. The potions master had saved Harry several times in the past and Harry was sure the man had gone to get help from the Order when Harry had told him about Sirius being missing. 

‘Get books on snake creatures’ was added to the list. Harry wasn’t sure how he would get the books, but he was fairly sure he could owl order the books. At least he hoped so.

He just needed Hedwig to return before he could see about owl ordering books. 

* * *

2 days. 

Uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia had kept him locked up in Dudley’s second bedroom for 2 days. His aunt would slip him food once a day through the old cat flap. In the morning she would also push through a bucket for him to relieve himself in and at night he would push it back through, carefully, for them to empty. 

At least they weren’t forcing him to urinate in the corner of the room like an animal. Then again they probably didn’t want him smelling up the place. 

In those two days Harry taught himself to use his tail to move around. To his surprise slithering required a lot more work than just swishing his tail back and forth along the floor. He had to start the movement at his hips and let the movement ripple down his tail. His tail also didn’t remain flat on the floor; instead it lifted up a little at intervals and would come back down to push him forward. 

There were so many little movements going on that when Harry tried to think about it, he would trip himself up and end up falling on his face. It took forever just to teach himself to just stop thinking about moving his tail when he wanted to move. 

The room was too small to really get any real practice in, so even though he had taught himself how to slither around, his movements were slow and stiff. 

To his immense embarrassment, Harry found he had better control of his movements if he sauntered and swung his hips back and forth like a girl would. He had never really looked ‘masculine’, having a more androgynous face and thin body, but he had never looked ‘feminine’ either. But with how he was forced to move his hips, Harry definitely felt more like a girl in that moment. 

It definitely did not help that during the whole change, thing, his hair had grown in length. It fell to his shoulder blades now, but at least the weight of it helped a little to control the bird’s nest that his hair normally was. His hair was still curly, but it at least fell in neater waves. He was able to tie it back using an old shoelace that had broken off from one of Dudley’s old sneakers. 

For 2 days his relatives completely ignored him. Harry had been expecting Hedwig to return during that time, but his faithful owl companion was still absent. Since Harry had told her, when sending her to Ron’s, to wait until she was given a reply she was probably still there. 

It royally irked Harry that his friends still weren’t responding to his letters! What happened to the whole ‘write to us whenever you need to’ and ‘we’ll always be here for you’? They’d abandoned him, again, but this time they’d made promises to him that they’d broken. 

If their letters were being intercepted and they weren’t hearing from him, then the Order would have sent someone to check on him...right? 

Surely someone was worried about him…

His thoughts circled around like that for 2 days while he explored his body and figured out how to use his tail. During that time he had learned where his lost bits had ended up, with his face turning bright red as he was forced to feel around the first time, and to his great relief his changed anatomy had not adopted the snake equivalent completely. 

Harry had no idea what he would have done if he’d ended up with what a snake had for a penis. What little he could remember was that male snakes actually had two. 

Nope. He only had one, even if it looked a lot different now and would slip back into the weird slit sheath that was hidden by his scales when he wasn’t using it. 

It was during these little experiments and explorations that Harry made a rather disturbing and humiliating discovery. 

Not only did his penis now slip in and out of a weird inner sheath thing, but he’d also found a slit in his scales just below the sheath that definitely did not feel like something that was used for waste management. After finding the slit, Harry had quickly withdrawn his fingers and chosen to forget the entire thing. 

Denial was more than just a river in Egypt and Harry was more than happy to buy a one way ticket and live there for the rest of his life. 

In the 2 days he’d been left alone Harry found other physical changes during his bored explorations. He could feel a spattering of scales along his cheeks like freckles. His ears had gained points. They weren’t significant, but his ears were definitely pointed now. He also had retractable claws that could slice through wood and metal pretty easily. 

Harry had also found that when he grew angry or scared, which happened once or twice when his relatives had stormed back and forth loudly outside his room, long fangs would descend from weird holes in his gums above his regular teeth. They would also drip what he assumed was venom. 

If he hadn’t gotten over his fear of snake venom from his experience with the basilisk, Harry might have had a heart attack. 

He tried to reach around to get at his back at one point and from where he could reach, Harry felt more scales. 

At least his tail was his favorite color instead of something awful like red. As much as he liked Gryffindor red, Harry could not possibly see himself being comfortable with having a red tail and red scales for the rest of his life. 

Emerald green was a calming color for Harry. It reminded him of the eyes he shared with his mother. 

On the third day of his solitude, things started to change outside of his room. All during the two days he’d been left on his own, his aunt and uncle had argued constantly. Dudley had been sent to aunt Marge’s house for the time being so it had just been his aunt and uncle in the house. 

The yelling was often muffled because his aunt and uncle would be arguing either in their bedroom or down stairs, but Harry knew they were arguing about him. He caught the words ‘kill’, ‘freak’, and ‘abomination’ enough times to know that he was no longer safe in the Dursley household. 

Not that he had ever been safe before, but he had always been reasonably sure that the Dursley’s wouldn’t out right murder him. 

His aunt and uncle weren’t yelling anymore. In fact they had gone eerily quiet. If it weren’t for the fact that he could hear his aunt moving around downstairs, Harry would have thought they had abandoned the house. 

The quietness of the house made Harry nervous. Was his uncle going to try and kill him tonight and was currently digging a hole somewhere in the middle of nowhere? 

Aunt Petunia still delivered the typical amount of food to him around noon as if nothing was going on. 

Harry wasn’t sure if it worried him more or less. 

Constant vigilance had been Moody’s catch phrase and Harry had taken it to heart. He made sure his school bag was packed with all of his belongings he had stored in his room, with all of his clothes just in case he was ever able to get his legs back, as well as the pills and water bottle he’d stashed under the loose floorboard. 

By dinner time Harry was a twitchy mess of nerves. His uncle had returned and Harry swore he had heard the obese man dragging something heavy out of the house and into the garage. The only thing that heavy and awkward was Harry’s trunk. 

Surprisingly enough Harry’s aunt delivered a simple dinner to him. Normally he only got one meal a day, and getting a second one just had his paranoia skyrocketing. 

Nothing happened after dinner though. An hour passed, and then another, and still nothing happened. Harry was just starting to relax, having been waiting on his cot with his school bag slung over his shoulder in case he needed to make a bid for freedom, when his uncle came stomping up the stairs. 

Harry held his breath as those loud slamming footsteps came down the hallway only to stop outside of his bedroom door. The locks were undone swiftly and Harry flinched back when the door was thrust open. He was off his cot in seconds and standing, as best to his ability, as tall as he could to seem more intimidating. 

His uncle stood there in the doorway, his fist clenching and unclenching for several long minutes. It was obvious his uncle wanted to beat Harry again, but every time he made to move forward, Harry would move just enough so that the hall light would catch on the glittering scales of his tail. 

Instantly his uncle would step back. 

“You’re leaving.” Vernon was finally able to get out after the long stalemate between him and Harry. “Tonight.”

Harry wanted to ask his uncle how in the world he was going to accomplish that. He couldn’t exactly wander out the door hoping that none of the neighbors would see him. Harry also couldn’t wander around London until he got to the Leaky Cauldron to try and get help. 

Perhaps he could go to St. Mungos? Harry hadn’t thought of that yet, but they might be able to help him figure out if this was a curse or not. 

Again his uncle made as if to grab him, but the sharp aborted movement made Harry hiss threateningly. His fangs slipped down and Harry could feel twin drops of venom slip down his chin. 

“Freak!” Vernon mumbled before he stepped into the hallway. “Go to the garage. NOW.”

Taking the chance for what it was, Harry slipped out of the bedroom and hurried to the stairs. He had to grab the railing with both hands to pull himself along the stairs, unsure if he would be able to go down them without the support. 

“My things?”

“I already put your blasted trunk and ruddy birdcage in the van!” Vernon shouted, his words tinged with desperation. 

Sure enough when Harry made it to the garage there was a simple, white, windowless van waiting for him with the back doors wide open. 

He was happy to see his trunk and Hedwig’s cage right where his uncle had told him they would be. As well as a ratty looking blanket.

“Where are you taking me?” Harry asked, doing his best to keep the shaking out of his voice. If his uncle tried to kill him, Harry would return the favor. He was not about to let himself go down without a fight. Instead of an answer, his uncle pointed a fat finger at the van for him to get into.

Vernon shuddered in disgust as his nephew squirmed his way into the back of the van. That long tail writhed and shifted around until the freak was able to get it completely into the van. “Cover yourself.” He hissed angrily before slamming the van doors shut. He just wanted to get the freak as far away from his home as he could. 

Using the ratty blanket that had been left in the van, Harry covered his long green tail as best he could. His uncle still hadn’t answered his question and when he asked again once his uncle was in the driver seat, he only got silence as a response. 

Harry couldn’t see any weapons, knives, guns, or anything else in the van so either his uncle really was taking him some place to dump him or the man was planning on killing Harry at the final location. 

At least Harry had his things. He would probably have to abandon his trunk since it was bulky and hard to drag around. He would just grab the things that were most important to him and leave the rest. Maybe he’d hide his trunk and try to get back to it later. 

Not being able to use magic outside of school sucked. He could have used a shrinking charm on his trunk and carried it in a jacket pocket, or levitated his trunk around. Instead Harry was forced to think about leaving behind his few meager possessions. 

But at least he had the choice to do so. That was more than he had expected when his uncle had told him that he was being forced to leave. 

Harry huddled under the ratty blanket and shivered slightly. At least back at the Dursley home his room had been warm. The van, even in the middle of summer, was cold and Harry was pretty sure his uncle was blasting the air conditioner as high as he could.

He hadn’t been sure whether or not he’d become cold blooded, but the cold air was definitely not helping him in any way, shape, or form. Harry could feel his eyes slipping closed and he shivered again under the blanket. 

Harry just hoped that wherever his uncle was taking him, it was warmer than the inside of the van was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've actually got a few chapters done and ready. I'll post the few right away and post 1 new chapter each week.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After turning into some sort of snake creature on his 16th birthday, his uncle abandons Harry in the middle of some unknown forest. Now not only does Harry have no idea what he is, but he has no idea where he is. He's alone with no idea how to take care of himself in the wild. If only there was someone or something that could help him.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 3

The drive was extremely long and for the most part silent. Harry drifted in and out of sleep, mostly thanks to the cold air being blown on him. When he was awake he was able to get quick peaks at the clock on the van’s dashboard. 

They had left the house at around 10pm and his uncle had been driving for almost 12 hours. Wherever they were, it was very far away from Privet Drive. 

Uncle Vernon stopped a few times, to refuel, get some food for himself, and find relief. Every single time it happened he would snarl at Harry to stay under the blanket and to keep quiet. 

Seeing as how Harry had no idea where they were or how he was supposed to hide himself in the muggle world, he did as he was told. It was just safer at that point to make himself as small as possible. 

Harry must have fallen asleep again at some point because the next thing he knew he was being jolted awake as the van was jostled around on a very bumpy road. His uncle was swearing angrily which only got worse the farther down the bumpy road they went. 

“That’s it.” His uncle growled out as he slammed on the breaks. “This is far enough.” 

Cold dread went down Harry’s spine and he folded up the blanket he had been keeping wrapped around his tail. On instinct he stuffed the blanket into his school bag intending on taking it with him in case he needed it. 

The back van doors were swung open violently, making the entire van shake. “Get out.” 

Harry didn’t need to be told twice. He was out of the van and on the ground faster than his uncle could blink. He ended up practically laying on the ground from how fast he had shot himself out of the van, but at least he had put himself far enough away from his uncle that the man couldn’t even try to kick him. 

The fat man grunted as he shifted himself into the van to grab Harry’s trunk and yank it out. It fell to the ground with a muffled thud and then Hedwig’s cage joined it seconds later. 

In those few moments Harry quickly glanced around. His uncle had driven out into the middle of a thick forest where the only signs of human life were the tire treads in the dirt made by the van. 

“Listen here,  _ freak. _ ” Harry blinked when a fat finger was shoved into his line of sight. “If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you and use your  _ freakish _ tail to make a new handbag for my wife.” 

Those words were so full of vehemence and hate that Harry had no doubt his uncle would follow through with the threat. 

“Yes uncle Vernon.” Harry squeaked out as he pulled back and away from the threatening finger. 

The fat man spat out a few more threats before he went to the van and got back into the drivers side. He’d gotten the van turned around before he’d offloaded Harry so all he had to do was start the van up and peel away back down the dirt path. 

For a long time Harry sat in the dirt, with sticks and leaves sticking into his tail, listening as the van he had been transported in for over 12 hours got farther and farther away. He still didn’t move even after he could no longer hear the van. 

His uncle had just abandoned him in the middle of a forest without telling Harry exactly where he was. What was he going to tell people when they wondered where Harry had vanished to? Would his friends even try to contact him? 

Nothing had been sent to him on his birthday this year. Usually Harry at least got a couple of letters and a few gifts from his friends. This year though nothing had come. Not even a letter from the Weasley’s. 

He was alone. Completely and utterly alone. 

Dragging his trunk through the forest would be impossible. He could get it behind some trees and bushes to try and hide it, but he wouldn’t be able to get it far. Harry’s original plan to just take what he thought was important would have to work. 

“I wish you were here Hedwig.” Harry whispered as he struggled with his trunk for several minutes to get it out of the semi open dirt path and behind some of the closer trees. The forest ground was a lot easier to get traction on compared to the floor in Dudley’s second bedroom, but he still had the coordination of a toddler. Slithering while dragging his trunk at the same time took far longer than Harry would have liked. 

As soon as the trunk was partially hidden in some bushes, Harry opened it up. He pulled the school books out of his bag and set them back into his trunk. If he wanted the books later he would just return and hope they were still in good condition. For now he only took his cloak, wand, some shirts, the blanket, his school robes, his money bag, his photo album, a scroll of parchment and a muggle pen, and the dagger that Sirius had given him for Christmas. His school bag was bulging and as full as it could be. 

Everything else had to be left behind. 

As much as Harry hated leaving his trunk and the last of his belongings, he knew he couldn’t take it with him. He also knew he couldn’t wait around where he was. His newly developing instincts were screaming at him that the area was not safe and that he needed to find a burrow or nest to make his own. 

How he knew the area wasn’t safe was beyond him. He couldn’t see any signs of predators or humans around, besides the tire tracks from the van, but if his instincts were telling him to leave then Harry would listen to them. 

The forest around him was silent as he slowly started swinging his hips from side to side to get his tail moving. It felt strange, and oddly exhilarating, for his scales to slide across the dirt, leaves, and sticks that littered the ground. He could feel every little dip and rise in the dirt no matter how small. 

His slithering was still slow, but with so much space around him Harry was getting more confident with his movements. He could actually stretch his tail out now instead of having to be at an odd angle when circling around his small bedroom. 

There was an urge to climb over a fallen log at one point, which Harry indulged in. The scales of his tail scraped across the softwood and out of curiosity he wrapped his tail around the fallen log. His tail dug into the dirt several times until he was firmly wrapped around the log and then Harry tensed his muscles as tightly as he could. 

The dead tree cracked and splintered quickly under the strength of his tail and Harry couldn’t help but grin at the broken and mangled wood. He’d never been very strong before, thanks in part to the starvation his relatives had forced him to endure, so being able to crush things with his tail left him feeling light headed and excited. 

It was so weird being excited about having a strong tail instead of legs, but for some reason Harry had gotten used to the change rather quickly. A part of him was worried about this quick acceptance, but honestly he was used to his life being thrown into chaos. If he really was stuck being a creature then at least he was a strong creature that could protect itself. 

He giggled softly for a moment before finding something else to wrap his tail around. More giggles escaped him as he crushed one thing after another. There was such a sense of euphoria every time he felt something crack and break in the coils of his tail. 

After a while of just giggling like a maniac and crushing things, Harry came to the realization that he was hungry. His aunt had been kind enough to give him two meals the day before, but they had been simple and small. And after weeks of having zero appetite and not feeling at all interested in eating, Harry actually felt hungry. 

With the realization that he was hungry, came the one that he had no idea how to get food out in the forest. Nor did he know how to protect himself or find shelter. Was he supposed to tie branches together to make some sort of tent and dig deep pits to trap prey?

The euphoria Harry had felt from finally being free and being strong vanished instantly. He was alone, in the woods, and had no idea how to protect himself or feed himself. At least at the Dursley’s he’d been given something and he had never had to worry about wolves or bears that could be lurking in the forest waiting to pounce.

“ _ You smell like a hatchling, but you are much too big.”  _

Slurred hissing words sounded to the side of Harry and he quickly spun around to hiss threateningly at whatever had snuck up on him. His fangs were once again out and venom dripped down his chin in thick drops. 

“ _ Put those away hatching, I mean you no harm.”  _ There was a snake there, a long and elderly snake with greying brown diamond shaped patterned scales and fogged over eyes. The snake flicked out its forked tongue several times to taste the air between it and Harry. “ _ Not quite a hatchling, there’s a human scent on you as well. It mixes nicely with your scales.”  _

“ _ Thank you?” _ Harry felt his fangs retract and he wiped the back of his hand against his chin to get the lingering venom off. He felt like he was getting whiplash from his emotions changing so quickly. 

For a long time the old snake just stared at Harry, as if trying to puzzle through what she was looking at. 

“ _ C-can you help me?” _ Harry rubbed at the back of his neck and tugged gently at the long strands that got caught in his fingers. “ _ I’m new to all of this and I have...I have no idea what to do.”  _

The snake tilted its head to the side and it slowly uncoiled from where it had been resting on the ground. It slid closer and closer to Harry, keeping its movements slow and obvious. “ _ Definitely a hatchling then.”  _ The snake nodded to itself. _ “Where is your clutch mother? Surely you are too young to be on your own.”  _

Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He was a teenager, 16 years old now, he wasn't some sort of child that couldn’t take care of himself. Then again he really couldn’t take care of himself out in the forest while on his own. It was weird to think that he could battle psychotic insane murders, giant deadly basilisks, dementors that could suck your soul out, but he had no idea how to find shelter or catch his own food. 

“ _ I don’t have one.” _ Harry mumbled awkwardly. He sank down closer to the ground and sat back in the coils of his tail. 

The snake paused in its movements for a moment before finally closing the distance. It’s long forked tongue flicked out into the air around Harry. With how glossy its eyes were he figured the snake was blind or close to being blind so was relying on its sense of smell. 

When the snake’s tongue flicked lightly against the scales on Harry’s hip it reared back with a hiss of surprise. 

“ _ A blessed one!” _ The snake was practically climbing up Harry then, wrapping around his torso until they were eye to eye. “ _ I thought your human scent was strange! It has been many generations since a blessed one was here.”  _

_ “B-blessed-” _

The snake bobbed its head to nod. “ _ Blessed ones are carriers of the Great Mother’s blood. They start out as human hatchlings, but when their blood becomes strong enough they become serpents like the Great Mother.”  _

Harry had no idea what the snake was talking about, but it was more information than he’d had before or after he’d grown a tail. 

“ _ So…” _ Harry knew he should have felt uncomfortable having a deadly snake wrapped around his chest, but instead there was a sense of calm and safety there.  _ “Can you help me then?” _

The snake scoffed and shifted its coils until it was draped around Harry’s shoulders instead of wrapped around his body. “ _ A Blessed hatchling should never be left alone! I am Hassaria and I will be your nest mother now since you are lacking one.”  _ Again the snake nodded its head before flicking its tongue against Harry’s cheek. 

Hassaria. One-who-hunts-the-moon. It was an odd name for a snake to have, but what would Harry know about snake names? Maybe it was a common name amongst snakes? 

_ “It’s nice to meet you Hassaria. I’m Harry.” _ He lifted up a hand and ever so gently touched the scales along her neck. He felt her shiver at his touch, but she didn’t recoil or hiss at him to stop. He was a little too stunned by the turn of events to even try to talk the snake out of adopting him.

“ _ Harry...odd name. Nono. My hatchling must have a strong name!”  _ Hassaria cooed as she licked his cheek again. 

“ _ I like my name though.” _ Ever since he’d learned that Harry was his name, and not ‘freak’ or ‘boy’, he’d loved his name. It was something that was his and he knew his relatives couldn’t take it away. It was the name his parents had given him, the first thing they had ever given him, and Harry didn’t want to lose it. 

“ _ Hmph _ .” Hassaria was old enough to know when to fight and when to wait until another time. She would think about names and when her newly acquired hatchling was more comfortable, she would suggest a few to him. “ _ Fine, fine little hatchling.”  _

They were interrupted when Harry’s stomach decided to make a rather loud rumbling noise. His cheeks became a bright pink and he rubbed at his stomach. 

“ _ My hatchling is hungry, but you are much too young to hunt yet.” _ If she remembered her stories right, Blessed hatchlings aged much slower than normal snake hatchlings and relied on their nest mothers for food and shelter. Normal hatchlings sometimes took a few days to get the hang of things, but they were born knowing how to hunt. 

The best thing to do would be to get Harry safely away in a nest so Hassaria could go and get some rabbits. There were plenty of rabbits in the forest this time of year and her Harry seemed big enough to be able to eat a whole rabbit; unlike normal snake hatchlings. 

He wouldn’t fit inside of a normal snake nest though...No, Hassaria would have to direct him to the abandoned cave not far from them. 

“ _ Alright my Harry, head through those trees there,”  _ She pointed her tail tip towards some trees to Harry’s right _. “There is a cave there that you should be safe in while I hunt.”  _

How in the world had it come to this? Harry had somehow gotten himself adopted by the first snake he had run into since his birthday and now she was going to go hunting for him? 

“ _ C-can you tell me more about this, ‘blessed’ thing?”  _ Harry asked as he tried to slither a bit faster than he was used too. He kept having to lean forward or grab onto a passing tree to keep from falling over. 

“ _ Of course.” _ Hassaria would end up telling her new hatchling everything as a nest mother was supposed to do. “ _ But first, you're moving your tail wrong. You are not a worm slinking through dirt or a fish flopping about. Think of your tail as a ripple going down your spine. Going up and down against the ground and spreading out from your center.” _

Her hatchling really was newly blessed if he couldn’t move properly yet. He was doing well, but he was definitely slithering around like he was newly hatched and just learning. 

There were three main movements a snake utilized, and she would have to teach him all three. Hopefully her hatchling learned quickly so she wouldn’t have to worry about him being chased down by something that would find him tasty. 

At least he was too large for owls or falcons to eat. 

When they made it to the cave, after several slithering lessons, Hassaria instructed Harry to go as far back into the cave as he could and to curl up inside of his coils. That way his scent would be less obvious to any passing predators. After making sure her Harry would stay in the cave, she went out to hunt. 

It was weird for Harry being told what to do by a snake. She’d been understanding when instructing him on slithering and she’d sounded so protective when telling him to stay in the cave. No one had gotten so attached to him so quickly before and Harry wasn’t sure how to feel about it. 

He was pretty sure snakes were very independent creatures though so why was Hassaria being so...motherly? She kind of reminded him of Mrs. Weasley with her lectures and being concerned over his safety. The two also had a strange fixation on feeding him.

Did Hassaria’s attitude and how she treated him have to do with the whole ‘blessed’ thing? And what the heck was a ‘Great Mother’ and how did he have her blood? Harry had always thought he’d been a parselmouth because of Voldemort attacking him and leaving some of his power in Harry. 

Even if that theory had been true, Harry doubted it explained why he had turned into a half snake creature. 

Again Harry wished he had Hedwig so he could owl order some books to get some answers. He wished he had paid more attention in Care of Magical Creatures and in Defense Against the Dark Arts when they’d been learning about dark creatures. 

With a sigh Harry wrapped his tail into coils around himself and he settled his arms against the smooth scales of his tails. At least he had shelter now, even if it was just a cave, and he had a way to get food. He’d ask Hassaria to teach him to hunt sooner rather than later. First he would need to get better control over his tail and moving though. 

It really sucked that he was pretty much a kid again just learning how to run and jump. Unlike his first childhood though, this time he had an actual mother figure to help him. 

* * *

There were many stories about the Great Mother and the Blessed ones and once Hassaria got started in her storytelling, there was no stopping her. 

Apparently most snakes were born with the knowledge and stories she was telling him, just as they were born with the instinctive knowledge of how to hunt and move. 

Hassaria was patient with him when he asked questions or asked her to repeat her stories. She didn’t mind; Harry got the feeling she’d been feeling lonely for some time and being able to talk to him made her happy. 

He actually really liked the stories about the Great Mother. Hassaria had described her as a great serpent that could change from having a tail to legs and back again. The Great Mother had laid the first eggs and from those eggs a thousand thousand snakes were born. She also gave birth to the first blessed ones after taking a human lover. 

There was a sad part of the story then. The first of the Great Mother’s hybrid children had died. Their bodies had not been strong enough to support the serpent blood and venom in their bodies. She’d loved her human lover so much though that she had been determined to give him hatchlings of his own to love. 

That was when the Great Mother had used her magic to change her hybrid children. She blessed them to be born human, like their father, and then when their bodies were strong enough they would be blessed with their serpent mother’s blood. The stories said that not all of the Great Mother’s blessed children became like her; many stayed as humans. All of her children though were able to speak the serpent language. 

Hassaria grew sad as she came to the end of her stories. She told Harry about how the Great Mother grew tired and sorrowful when her human lover died. The Great Mother did not want to live in a world without her lover, but she also did not want to leave her children to navigate the world without her. So she gave one last blessing to her serpent children. She gave all of her serpent children knowledge from birth so that they would always be able to survive on their own. Unfortunately her human children were unable to take this blessing as it would interfere with the one she had already given them to protect them. 

So the Great Mother asked of her serpent children to be there for her Blessed ones. It would be up to her serpent children to teach and guide their hybrid relatives and to protect them from a world that would harm them. 

When the Great Mother had the promise from all her serpent children, she curled up and drifted away into her final rest. 

The stories were beautiful to Harry. They were full of love, but also heartache. He understood the Great Mother’s desire to protect and love all of her children, no matter their species, and he was in awe of her power. 

“ _ You said before that a Blessed one hadn’t been seen in generations?” _ Harry asked his adopted snake mother once she was done retelling the tales of the Great Mother and her first children. He and Hassaria were coiled up and resting outside of the cave, taking in as much of the warm summer sunlight as they could. 

It’d been a week since Harry had first been abandoned in the forest by his uncle, and in that time he had found more happiness then he had ever had with his human relatives. 

Hassaria had even, reluctantly, started to teach Harry how to hunt. It was slow going, teaching him how to scent the air with his tongue, and then to follow that scent, but he was learning. 

_ “The Blessed ones were hunted here in our lands a long time ago. Many fled to distant lands where they would be safe and happy.” _ Harry could hear some sadness in his new mother’s words, but she continued on. “ _ Sometimes a human will give birth to a Blessed one. The blood takes generations to grow strong in the human clutches.” _

When asked, Hassaria admitted she had no idea what made a human strong enough to be able to become a Blessed one. She was a snake and snakes did not come up with theories like humans did. They told their stories and lived their lives as fully as they could. If a snake were ever to come across a Blessed one, they would honor the long ago promise to the Great Mother and stay with the Blessed one to protect and guide them. 

Harry guessed that the more the hybrid children bred and mated with humans, the weaker the serpent blood became. 

“ _ All that is known is that the ones with the Great Mother’s blood will always be able to speak the serpent's tongue. Even if they do not become Blessed ones.”  _

Which was a disturbing thought for Harry. He knew of one other person besides himself that could talk to snakes and after what had happened in his fourth year, he was pretty sure Voldemort was a ‘Blessed one’. Not all hybrids had tails, according to Hassaria, but they all had snake-like features that became prominent after their inheritance. 

And that’s what Harry had learned to call it. An inheritance. After he and Hassaria had made the cave their home, Harry had gone back to his trunk to bring back as many things as he could, one trip at a time. 

The Monster Book of Monsters had been useless in telling him what species of creature he was, but he’d found a pamphlet that told him about magical inheritances that young witches and wizards went through on their 16th birthdays. 

After reading that Harry was able to remember that last weekend lecture he and the other fourth fifth years had been forced to go through; at least the ones that hadn’t turned 16 yet. 

According to the pamphlet, the majority of young witches and wizards had minor to moderate power boosts on their 16th birthdays. Others sometimes had stronger boosts, and still some would get a creature inheritance because one or more of their ancestors had had children with a creature. 

“ _ Let us practice your tracking before it gets too dark.” _

It had irked Harry when he and Hassaria had discovered his vision was almost completely human. It had cleared up perfectly and he no longer needed his glasses, but he didn’t have the infrared vision that many snakes had. He had to rely on his increased sense of smell to track prey. 

With a sigh Harry nodded and uncoiled from his warm rock. He closed his eyes and flicked out his tongue as if to lick his lips. His tongue wasn’t as long and thin as a normal snakes, but he had discovered that it had the same sensitivity to scents in the air as a snakes’. He felt very silly sticking his tongue out to taste the air, but he calmed himself with the logic that no one was around to see it. 

“ _ Rabbits!”  _ After the first rabbits that Hassaria had brought back for him, Harry had found he rather enjoyed the little critters. Their meat was sweet to him and definitely more filling than rats or mice. 

And that was another thing that Harry had had to get used to. He’d tried cooking the first of his rabbits, making a fire wasn’t nearly as hard as he thought it would be, but his first bite into the cooked rabbit had had Harry feeling sick. 

Hassaria had been the one to tell him to eat the next rabbit raw. It’d been gross to Harry, peeling back the rabbits skin and feeling its cooling blood covering his hands. He’d used his claws to cut the fur and skin away until only the meat was left. 

He’d been squeamish at first, looking at the raw and bloody meat, but after his first bite he’d forgotten all about how he was eating a freshly killed rabbit. 

The taste of that sweet meat on his tongue was all he cared about and he’d ended up stripping the rabbit of just about everything. 

Hassaria had eaten the rabbits’ organs and innards, since Harry had refused to touch them. 

_ “Remember to let your instincts guide your tail across the ground as you track. Your scales can feel where loose dirt is and where twigs are. Relax and let your body move where you want it to go.”  _ Hassaria instructed her hatchling as the teenage boy began slithering across the forest floor. She stayed close to him, choosing to slither next to him rather than ride on his shoulders. Her Harry needed to learn to hunt on his own even though she was more than happy to hunt for him. 

He had to learn in order to protect himself. Hassaria knew she wouldn’t always be around to protect him after all. 

Harry kept his upper body low to the ground, almost touching it. His hands skimmed across the dirt, just barely touching and holding himself up. His stomach and abdomen muscles were getting stronger and stronger the more he practiced, making it easier for him to slither in that position for longer periods of time. 

It had been dreadfully awkward at first, learning how to move with his body so close to the ground. He’d had to practically crawl before Hassaria had gotten him to strengthen his core muscles. 

In near silence Harry and Hassaria tracked the scent of rabbits through the forest. Hassaria would hiss at Harry to close his eyes now and then and rely on just his sense of smell, teaching him to stretch out all his senses rather than rely on his most human sense. 

They came across the rabbits after almost a half hour. Harry stayed crouched down close to the ground as he watched the rabbits he and his snake mother had been tracking. The rabbits were unaware of their presence, too busy chewing on clovers and flowers that were growing in and around the moss near one tree. 

This was Harry’s chance! He had yet to successfully catch a rabbit, mostly because he hadn’t mastered moving completely silently yet, but this time the rabbits hadn’t heard or smelled them at all. 

He slowly bunched up his tail behind him, tensing his muscles so that he was ready to spring as soon as one rabbit got close enough. Harry could feel Hassaria also getting ready to lunge. 

The two predators watched and waited until the rabbits were almost within arms reach of the bush Harry was hiding behind and under. 

It took little power and strength to lunge at the rabbit closest to him, his claws raking at the rabbits fur to try and dig into its body. 

Harry miscalculated though and forgot that even though the bush had made a great hiding place, he was a lot bigger than his mother and he also had hair. His hair snagged on the bushes tiny branches and his head was yanked back as he tried to get at the rabbit. 

The rabbit was just barely past his fingertips and as soon as he had revealed himself, the rabbits had scattered. 

Thankfully, Hassaria was a much better hunter than Harry was. Her strike was perfectly and cleanly done. She took down her rabbit, her body wrapping around the screaming and crying animal until she squeezed its neck hard enough to snap it. 

The rest of the rabbits were gone in the blink of an eye. 

“ _ Haha very funny.”  _ Harry hissed at his snake mother as he worked at untangling his hair. Why he didn’t just chop it all off was beyond him. He actually liked having longer hair; it was a lot more manageable when it was long. 

He could hear Hassaria snickering at him from where she was wrapped up around her dead prey. 

“ _ I have seen humans wrap vines around their hair.” _ Hassaria commented once Harry had his hair free. “ _ Perhaps that would help?” _

It would help and Harry knew it. He didn’t have any ribbons or hair ties though. The shoelace he had been using had broken and he’d been unable to fix where the lace had frayed. 

Maybe Harry could cut a strip of cloth from one of his old pants and use that as a hair tie? It wasn’t like he needed his pants anymore. 

“ _ Here Hassis,”  _ Hassaria said as she uncoiled from her catch. “ _ Take this one back to the nest and eat. I will catch another.”  _

Hassis was the name his new nest mother had taken to calling Harry. It was less of a name and more of a term of endearment. It literally meant ‘little one’ in parseltongue. Harry had pouted and told her that he wasn’t little when she’d started calling him that. He pointed out that he was larger than she was, but she had pointed out that he was a hatchling and that all hatchlings were little. 

There was no arguing with Hassaria when she made up her mind about something. She was a snake and a snake’s logic was different than that of a human’s. 

Finding the cave that had been made into their nest was a lot easier than tracking the rabbits. Since the sun was still out and warm, Harry settled himself down on the largest of the rocks near the cave and tore into the rabbit. 

He was careful about cutting away the skin first. He wanted to collect the fur to keep for when it got colder. He had fashioned a needle out of one of the rabbit bones and had started sewing the dried fur pelts together to try and make a blanket or cape. 

Harry had no idea how he would be able to handle the cold once fall and winter came. Hassaria agreed it was better to prepare early than to be caught unaware. 

If his owl had been around Harry would have owl ordered a few things he could use in the forest, but even after a week Hedwig still hadn’t returned. No other owls had shown up either. He had yet to receive any letter from his friends or his daily prophet subscription. 

When Harry had told his nest mother about his worries, she’d pointed out that owls and snakes were rival predators. It was completely possible that the owls were staying away because they could sense that Harry was a danger to them now. 

As much as Harry wanted to believe Hedwig would never abandon him, it was the only plausible explanation that he or his new mother could come up with. 

The more he thought about it, the more Harry realized Hedwig had been acting funny the few weeks leading up to his birthday. Maybe she could sense what was happening to him?

Harry sighed and finished his rabbit meat, setting the innards aside on a large leaf for Hassaria when she returned. 

His life was different now, so very different, he saw no point in dwelling on things that he could not figure out. Hedwig was gone, his friends had abandoned him, and he was a creature living in a forest now. Those were the only truths he knew and he needed to learn to live with them. 

He just wished that Sirius was still around. It would have been fun living with Sirius in the wild. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for now. I'll be posting chapter 4 on Monday the 15th of June. I could possibly be convinced to post the next chapter sooner with comments, but if that doesn't happen, expect the chapter on next monday.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being abandoned in a forest by his uncle, Harry is adopted by a partially blind older adder named Hassaria. She teaches him how to be a snake, slithering and hunting, and tells him all sorts of stories about the Great Mother that had given birth to all the snakes of the world. Harry's life seems to be getting better, despite being stuck in the middle of a forest with no idea what he is, but he still can't help but to wonder why he hasn't heard from any of his friends. 
> 
> Maybe Harry should just relearn how to use his broom and fly away? That way he would definitely never have to worry about his ex-friends, Dumbledore, and Voldemort.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 4

At some point, Harry lost track of time. He stopped counting the days and weeks that followed his creature inheritance, not really concerned with what day it was. He knew it was still August but he didn't know the exact day. He figured maybe 2 or 3 weeks had passed since his birthday, but honestly Harry had stopped caring. 

He had stopped caring as soon as it became obvious that no one was looking for him. Harry knew he should have received a letter from someone by now, and yet there wasn't a single sign of any owl on the horizon! 

Every summer since his first year, he had always left the Dursleys and had gone to be with friends in August. Harry had always been forced to spend the first part of the summer with the Dursley's until his birthday, he never really understood why, and then he would spend the other half with the Weasley’s. Dumbledore had always told him it was for his protection, but Harry couldn't quite justify staying with the Dursley's as 'necessary'. 

Even if no one had written him, the Weasley’s should have at least figured out he was missing when they’d gone to get him from his relatives’ house. 

So, since it was obvious no one else cared, Harry had just given up. He put all of his focus in learning how to be a snake hybrid living in the wild. Hassaria was more than happy to help him learn. 

He was getting better at tracking and hunting, and was catching every other rabbit whenever Hassaria took him out from the nest. Hassaria was still doing most of the hunting, but at least Harry didn’t feel like such a burden to the old adder that had practically adopted him.

Hassaria told him that soon he would be able to hunt larger prey and that maybe he would have better luck with deer. Small prey were harder to catch because they were quicker than creatures larger than them.  If Harry did go after larger prey, like the deer he had spotted now and then, he knew he would have to use his fangs and venom to take his prey down. His claws were fine when taking down the rabbits, but something larger would definitely put up more of a fight. 

It wasn’t like his venom could do harm to himself. Hassaria had assured him that snakes were immune to their own venom. She told him that Blessed ones were born with venom and that it was passive and inactive while they were human. 

Harry theorized that the ability to build up an immunity played a big part in whether or not a Blessed one got an inheritance. If their bodies didn’t develop a total immunity to their own venom, they stayed human. If they did, then they would have their serpent creature inheritance.  It was one of the better theories Harry had come up with. 

After learning what a theory was, Hassaria had even joined in on making up theories. Her favorite one was that a Blessed one gained their inheritance based on how adorable they were.  She insisted that Harry made an absolutely adorable hatchling with his lovely glimmering green scales, long black hair, and hypnotic green eyes. Hassaria may be mostly blind from age, but she could still see colors just fine. 

Seeing as how neither he nor Hassaria knew of other Blessed ones, all they could ever really do was theorize. 

“ _ You are thinking too hard again Hassis.”  _

Sure enough Harry had gotten lost in his thoughts while watching the fire burning away in its circle of stones Harry had set up weeks ago. Hassaria had been skeptical of the campfire at first, but after awhile of watching it and seeing that it wouldn’t burn everything to the ground she’d grown comfortable with it. 

It helped things a lot that the fire kept them warm at night after the sun had gone down and the air had cooled off. 

“ _ I guess…” _ His thoughts had been circling around the same topics these last few days the closer they came to the end of summer. “ _ I just...Up until this summer my life has revolved around school and the Dursleys. I feel like...like I don’t know what to do now that I don’t have either in my life.” _

As much as Harry would have loved to return to Hogwarts, he knew it was impossible. Other than Remus and Hagrid, Harry had never heard of another creature attending Hogwarts. He knew that Veela hybrids got to attend Beauxbaton, Fleur and her sister were proof of that, and he was pretty sure hybrid creatures attended Durmstrang, but Hogwarts was very lacking in its creature students. 

He highly doubted a snake hybrid with dangerous claws, fangs, and venom would be allowed around other kids. 

Hassaria hissed as Harry mentioned his relatives. She’d grown to hate them the more he’d told her about them. She’d told him that she didn’t know much about humans, but even snakes didn’t do even half of the horrible things Harry's relatives had done.  If a hatchling was abnormal in the egg or at birth, then their lives were ended swiftly and painlessly. Snakes did not harm hatchlings unless the hatchlings were trying to invade territory, but even then older snakes usually just scared hatchlings away. Some snakes even helped hatchlings if they were suffering. 

Snakes were very independent creatures, but that didn’t mean they were heartless. 

Hassaria just couldn’t comprehend the fact that her Blessed hatchling’s human family had beaten, starved, and neglected him. If she had known where they were she would have tracked them down and bitten them for what they had done to such a precious hatchling as her Harry. 

“ _ You are my hatchling now, my Hassis. I know you will miss your human life, but you are not alone. I will stay by your side to cherish and guide you.”  _ Hassaria assured Harry as she uncurled from her spot at the fire to slither and coil around Harry until she was resting on his shoulders. “ _ I do not know what the future holds, but for now just focus on one day at a time. Learn to hunt today and tomorrow maybe I’ll teach you to swim with your tail.”  _

_ “Ugh.”  _ Harry made a face at the fire. “ _ Must I really learn to swim?”  _ Ever since his fourth year he had really grown to dislike deep water. He hadn’t known how to swim then and had relied completely on the gillyweed. He really didn’t like the idea of swimming with a snake tail. 

Hassaria hissed chuckles into his ear and affectionately flicked a tongue against Harry’s cheek. “ _ Not if you don’t want to, but the possibility is there.” _ She hated seeing her hatchling looking so sad. “ _ Serpents live simple lives. You can too. You can be happy, you just have to let yourself.”  _

Harry’s hand had found its way up to Hassaria and he started rubbing at her scales with the tips of his fingers. He had learned that her shivering meant she liked something so he would rub at her scales whenever she was on his shoulders. 

“ _ I guess you’re right.”  _ He sighed wistfully and rested his chin against his one arm that was laying on his coiled tail. 

“ _ I smell fear on you Hassis. Why are you scared?” _

It was unnerving how his adopted snake mother could pick up his emotional state just by smelling him. 

“ _ I know it’s stupid,”  _ Harry whispered and his fingers stopped for a moment in their stroking. “ _ But I can’t help but wonder if they’ll come looking for me. Every time I start to feel happy, something happens and my world comes crashing down.” _

The older adder snake hissed her displeasure and she butted her head against Harry’s cheek. “ _ You’re talking about that school again.”  _

Harry had been telling Hassaria, often times with her badgering him until he would talk, all about the last 5 years of his life. He told her about every adventure and about the dangers he’d been gone through. 

Hassaria had been sad to hear about him killing the great Basilisk, but she had assured him that what he had done was right. A basilisk, especially one as large and as old as the one Harry had described, would have instantly known Harry was one of the Great Mother’s descendants. The fact that the basilisk had attacked Harry, even under orders, meant the old snake had been sick in the mind and had the great snake been coherent, it would have asked for death rather than harm a possible Blessed one. 

“ _ They’ll come looking for me. Eventually. They won’t stop until they find me.” _ Harry had loved Hogwarts, it had been his home for years, but now that he was free from the war and free from having to fight he didn’t know if he ever wanted to return.  He didn’t want people to sneer at him for what he had become, to hate him because he was less than human. Their scorn had been bad enough in his second and fourth years, Harry knew he wouldn’t be able to live with it now that he had changed so drastically. 

The two were silent for a long time. It was Hassaria that finally broke the silence. 

_ “When you are strong enough, we will leave.”  _ Her hisses came out confident and strong. “ _ We will leave for far away lands and find other Blessed ones. You will never again have to fear the ones from your school or the dark enemy that hunts you.”  _

And didn’t that tickle Harry’s heart, the idea that there was a snake that hated Voldemort when Voldemort was such an avid lover of snakes. When he’d told Hassaria about Voldemort and what he had done to Harry, the old adder had spat out venom and raged for hours. She’d made threats and promises to bite and rip apart the Dark Lord if the man ever came for Harry. 

Even after Harry had told her that Voldemort was a parselmouth, she had still made her threats. Hassaria was completely and utterly devoted to Harry, her Hassis, her Blessed hatchling, and she would allow no one to harm him; not even another descendant of the Great Mother. 

Harry fantasized about what Hassaria promised him. He dreamed about finding others like him and living in a large and happy family. He didn’t bother trying to question how they would leave the British isles, or how they would find others like him, he just trusted in his nest mother. 

He giggled as Hassaria continued to rage at his perceived enemies and make promises for his happiness all in the same breath. It was nice to have someone who cared so much about him. Maybe even loved him. 

It hurt to think that the people he had put so much of his trust into had abandoned him. 

“ _ We will find you new clutch mates, my dear Hassis, if that is what you want.”  _ Hassaria cooed when she felt the shift in his emotions from fear to melancholy. He only got like that when he thought about his friends, the ones Hassaria likened to clutch mates that snakes would have. 

“ _ For now all I want is you mum.”  _

Oh, if people could see him now! Ron especially would faint if he knew Harry was calling a snake ‘mum’. 

Hassaria preened happily and proceeded to rub her head against Harry’s cheek and neck again. She hissed sweet loving things to him and praised him for being such a wonderful hatchling. 

Perhaps it was fate that shortly after he and Hassaria were talking about his old life, a brown barn owl finally arrived with a letter attached to its leg. 

Harry blinked at the owl as it landed on a tree branch closest to the cave and screeched at him angrily. He almost couldn’t believe that an owl had finally arrived. Who had taken the time to write him a letter after so much time had passed? Harry had given up waiting for one of his old friends to write to him. 

“I can’t get the letter if you don’t come out of the tree.” Harry said with a huff when the owl just glared at him from the tree. Harry had yet to try climbing trees, but he did not want to start trying for a single letter. 

The owl screeched loudly and angrily at Harry when he uncoiled and moved closer to the tree. It shifted from foot to foot on the tree branch, but still didn’t look willing to fly down from its safe perch. 

Harry scowled at the owl and put his hands against his hips. “I’m not going to eat you.” He told the owl in annoyance. “You can go away as soon as you give me the letter.” The owl just watched him for a minute or two before fluttering over to perch itself on top of a boulder where Harry could reach the letters. 

“Thank you ever so much.” Sarcasm filled his voice and his words came out a bit colder than Harry had planned. Still, he went to the owl and untied the letters from the owl. It turned out that the owl was carrying two when Harry had originally thought it had only had one. 

The owl screeched again before pecking at Harry’s hand hard enough to break skin. It screeched one last time and flew away while Harry cursed and sucked on the injury to keep it from bleeding too badly. 

“ _ I guess you were right about owls hating me now.”  _ Harry bent down to pick up the two letters he’d dropped when the owl had pecked him. “ _ Damn thing broke skin.”  _

_ “You should have eaten it.” _ Hassaria made her way up Harry’s torso until she was wrapped once more around his shoulders; her favorite place to be. 

Harry snorted and shook his head. “ _ Maybe.” _ He doubted he would have been able to eat the owl though. After spending years with an owl for a pet and being around them at Hogwarts, Harry had grown to respect the feathered animals. 

He didn’t at first notice who the letters were from, but soon enough he was staring at the letters in disbelief. One letter was extremely familiar with the Hogwarts coat of arms stamped on the back in hard wax and the Dursley’s address on the front. He scowled at it and was half tempted to just chuck it into the fire. The staff at Hogwarts obviously didn’t know about his new living arrangements which meant no one was watching him. 

The other letter though simply had his name scrawled on the front. Since it had come with his Hogwarts letter, Harry figured it must have been from Dumbledore. The writing was too neat to be Hagrids, the only other person he would have expected to hear from. 

“ _ What are they?” _ Hassaria scented the air around the letters as her Hassis held them. She didn’t smell anything wrong with them; nothing non magical at least. 

“ _ Well this one,”  _ Harry lifted the Hogwarts letter.  _ “Is my school letter with my required school supply list for the year. This one…”  _ He sneered at the second letter. “ _ Is probably from my headmaster.” _

Hassaria hissed at the two letters before nudging her nose up against Harry’s cheek. “ _ Burn them. Those humans do not deserve a moment of your attention.” _

Harry was so tempted to do just that. After almost an entire summer of not hearing from anyone and the first letters he gets are from school? It angered and annoyed him. So, since he was almost a hundred percent sure he wouldn’t be able to attend Hogwarts anymore, Harry threw the school letter straight into the fire and watched it blacken and shrivel up. 

Perhaps he was being a little too hasty, but then again the letter had arrived really late in the summer. Usually he got his new school letter either just before or on his birthday. He was pretty sure it was late August now and school would be starting up again soon. 

He held the other letter and fingered the edge of the seal as he watched the school letter become nothing but shriveled up floating embers. Should he just toss the second letter into the fire without even reading it? If Dumbledore and the others really cared they would have tried to contact him sooner. 

There were other ways besides owls that they could have used. They should have contacted him before his birthday, like they had promised. 

“ _ Better to see what he wants.” _ Harry mumbled as he slipped a single claw under the seal and sliced through it in one easy swipe. The letter inside the envelope wasn’t overly long, just a single page, and sure enough when Harry looked down at the signature he confirmed it was from Dumbledore. 

The first time he read through the short letter, Harry blinked stupidly in shock. He had to reread it a second time and even then he couldn’t quite believe what it was he was reading. 

“ _ Well? What does it say Hassis?” _

Harry cleared his throat when his first attempt at speaking came out hoarse. 

“ _ Dear Mr. Potter, _

_ Harry, my boy, you have worried a great many people with your sudden disappearance from your relatives home! To think that you would run away from your relatives when they do so much to care for you. It hurts my heart to think that you care so little about their feelings.  _

_ I’m sure you have your reasons my boy, but I must tell you how disappointed I am in your actions. I know you are hurting from the loss of your Godfather, but in these times of trouble we must all step up and do what we can for the greater good.  _

_ I beg of you, for your own safety, return to your aunt and uncle’s home as quickly as possible. I will have one of the professors arrive there on the 1st to escort you to Kings Cross station.  _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore” _

_ “And then he goes on to list all of his achievements and titles.”  _ Harry was practically spitting venom by the end of the letter. 

How dare he! How dare Dumbledore accuse Harry of running away and then try and guilt him into returning. It was like the man didn’t even know Harry at all.  Sure Harry had run away before, during the summer before his third year, but he’d gone straight to Diagon Alley. He’d apologized for blowing up his aunt and for practically throwing a tantrum. But all that didn’t mean Harry was prone to just running off. 

And to try and use Sirius to guilt Harry just had the boy fuming. 

He crushed the letter in his hands and balled it up before throwing it straight into the fire. 

If Harry had had reservations about leaving everything and everyone behind, they were gone now. An entire summer of silence and the first words he gets are meant to lecture and guilt him? For something he had no control over?!

His aunt and uncle must have claimed he ran away; where else would Dumbledore have gotten that idea? Perhaps they all thought he would eventually show up at the Leaky Cauldron or the burrow after he’d cooled down. 

Well! Serves them right for being so wrong about him. 

“ _ I can’t believe he would, that he-”  _ Harry couldn’t even find the words to finish what he was trying to say. 

Hassaria cooed and hissed comfortingly as her dear hatchling fumed and hissed angrily. She coiled around his shoulders to try and comfort him. 

Maybe he should just do as his mother suggested and leave. The two of them could just leave Britain behind and go overseas. There were millions, billions, of snakes in the world, so surely one of them would know where to find others of his kind? 

But how were they going to be able to get out of Britain? It wasn’t like Harry could use magic seeing as how he was underage. The ministry would know the second he used his wand. Once they knew, it wouldn’t be too long before either Dumbledore or Voldemort knew where Harry was. 

Harry did have his broom...Hermione had enchanted it after third year so that it would shrink down whenever he wanted to put it in his trunk and then return to its normal size when he took it out. It would be awkward trying to fly side saddle, but it was the only option he had. 

“ _ I have an idea.”  _ Harry eased Hassaria off of his shoulders and then went into the cave where he kept the things of his that he had scavenged from his old school trunk. His broom was leaning against a back wall where it would be safest from the elements. 

He eyed his broom wearily for a moment before picking it up. It was weird trying to sit on it without legs to wrap around it, but Harry figured this was the way all those fancy ladies in the past would ride horses. 

Normally he would have to kick off with his heels to get the broom up into the air, but he couldn’t exactly do that this time. Maybe he could push off of the ground with his tail? 

Harry got off of his broom and took it outside only to remount it. 

“ _ What are you doing Hassis?”  _ Hassaria asked wearily as she watched her dear hatchling bring out the tree branch he cared so much about. 

“ _ I’m going to relearn how to fly.”  _ How hard could it be? He had been the youngest seeker in a century and was naturally gifted in flying. It wasn’t like he was going to be doing lots of dangerous maneuvers anymore. For now all Harry wanted to do was to get up into the air. “ _ Once I can fly again then the two of us can leave. We can do what you said mum. We can leave Britain behind and go find other Blessed ones.”  _

It was the best chance the two of them had to get as far away as possible as fast as possible. 

Harry mounted the broom as close to how he used to as possible, his hands tight around the top half of his broom and his backside sitting as solidly as possible. After taking a couple steadying breaths he pushed on the ground with his tail and prayed that his broom would do what he wanted. 

The Firebolt was intuitive enough to lift up into the air, but instead of the controlled ascent that Harry had been hoping for, it shot up a couple stories into the air. Harry’s breath left him in shock and he clung to the broom with his arms. His heart was racing in his chest when the broom finally leveled out at least thirty feet in the air. 

He was barely level with the tops of the closest trees. 

Harry could barely hear his nest mother hissing at him to return to her immediately. Other than to hunt, she had rarely been away from him the last few weeks and seeing her hatchling so far up off of the ground without her had Hassaria panicking. 

“ _ I’m fine mum!”  _ Harry yelled back to her as he slowly sat back up on his broom. His tail was trailing underneath him and wiggling around in the air. “ _ I just forgot how sensitive my firebolt was.” _

Unlike Harry’s nimbus, the firebolt had a hair trigger reaction. It could turn at the slightest touch and he barely had to think the thought to make his broom fly at its top speeds. Harry hadn’t realized just how much control his legs had on the broom until he was trying to fly with a tail. 

Everything would be fine though. He wasn’t going to be diving towards the ground and avoiding bludgers constantly so he should only need to use his hands to fly. 

“Ok. I can do this.” Harry mumbled as he tightened his grip on his broom. All he wanted to do was slowly descend so he could land again. Once he was on the ground he would try practicing getting up into the air at slower speeds. 

At first his broom slowly tilted down and started to drift downwards. Harry, who had been holding his breath, let out a sigh of relief. He could do this! Flying was easy so long as he remembered his training. 

His sigh came too soon as his broom jolted suddenly and started to nose dive. Harry let out a squawk of surprise and quickly jerked the handle of his broom up. The sudden movement had his broom veering off to the side. Harry’s shoulder hit a tree branch and made his broom tilt downwards again. 

He didn’t exactly crash, but Harry’s landing was a lot rougher than it should have been. He ended up rolling a couple times when his broom hit the ground until he was on his back and groaning. 

“Not my best landing. Not my worst either _.” _ His words turned into actual hisses as he slowly and painfully sat up. He didn’t think anything was broken and a quick examination assured him that his broom was also in one piece. 

Harry was positive he could relearn how to fly, he would just have to start slower and lower to the ground until he had a better idea of how to fly without legs. 

“ _ Stupid, large, loud, thing crashing into my nest!”  _

There was something hitting up against Harry’s hand and he lifted it away from the ground. Right where his hand had been, was a small grey snake with black banded vertical stripes along its body. 

“ _ This is my nest! Not yours! You can’t have my frogs!”  _ Again the little snake hit the flat of its head against Harry, this time hitting his hip. 

“ _ I’m very sorry for crashing into your nest.”  _ Harry said quickly as he righted himself and looked around. 

The little snake’s nest was right next to a pound where Harry caught the scent of several frogs. His sudden appearance had stopped all the animal noise in the area though so Harry had no idea just how many frogs were nearby. 

_ “You speak? Hmph. You smell weird.”  _

“ _ Watch your tongue hatchling!” A _ s soon as Harry had landed, Hassaria had slithered as swiftly as she could to his location. “ _ My Hassis is a Blessed one.” _

_ “Blessed one…” _ The little snake seemed bewildered over the title for a moment before realization dawned on him. He swung his head around from Hassaria to stare at Harry again. “ _ You’re a blessed one?! Amazing! So neat! You’re so big!”  _

Judging by just how tiny the snake was, it would barely be able to wrap around Harry’s wrist twice, it had to have recently hatched. Harry wondered if newly hatched snakes had a harder time recalling the instinctively ingrained information that all snakes were born with. 

_ “My Hassis is a hatchling, same as you.”  _ Hassaria hissed threateningly as the smaller snake proceeded to slither up into Harry’s lap. “ _ He has much growing to do.”  _

_ “I’m not that small mum.”  _ Harry mumbled, but he was smiling fondly at the semi blind adder that was taking up her place on Harry’s shoulders. She was grumbling about rude little grass snakes and how hatchlings these days had no respect. 

“ _ You’re a hatchling too?”  _ The little grass snake was writhing in Harry’s lap in excitement. “ _ We can be nest mates! We should definitely be nest mates! We’ll be the best nest mates ever!”  _

_ “Absolutely not!”  _ Hassaria practically screeched. “ _ You are too rude to be a nest mate to my Hassis! Go away!”  _

The two bickered at each other while Harry simply picked up the tiny grass snake in one hand and his broom in the other. He rather liked the little grass snake and its honest enthusiasm and it would be nice to have someone to talk to besides his adopted nest mother. 

“ _ What’s your name?”  _ Harry asked when there was a moment of quiet between the two snakes. 

The little grass snake tilted his head as if confused. His tail had wrapped around Harry’s fingers while the rest of his body had settled in the palm of Harry’s hand. 

_ “He is too young to have a name.”  _ Hassaria said with what sounded like a snobbish sniff, which had Harry giggling softly. “ _ Hatchlings don’t normally get names until a full moon cycle has passed.” _

“ _ I’ll have a name! It’s going to be a great name! The best name ever!”  _ The little grey grass snake hissed and preened. “ _ You’ll see!”  _

Hassaria snorted and shook her head. “ _ All hatchlings think their names will be the best.” _ She rubbed her head against Harry’s cheek and whispered as if revealing some big secret. “ _ Most don’t.” _

_ “Oh yeah? Well...well what kind of name is ‘One-who-hunts-the-moon’? You can’t hunt the moon! It’s too high!”  _

_ “It’s not to be taken literal!”  _

_ “A name should make sense and should strike fear into one's prey!” _

_ “My name is beautiful and elegant. You’ll probably pick something like ‘devourer-of-prey’ or ‘stone-scales’ or something.” _

_ “No I won’t! But if I did, then those names would be awesome cause I’m awesome!” _

The two were still bickering even when Harry made it back to the cave. There wasn’t a pond nearby, but a creek was close enough so the little grass snake should be able to find food there. If not Harry was sure he could convince Hassaria to share some of their kills with the tiny grass snake. 

Hassaria and the little grass snake didn’t even notice when Harry set them both down on the ground. He was determined to get some more practice on his broom before it got too dark out. 

“ _ Hatchlings never understand the importance of-”  _ She was finally distracted from her ranting at the younger snake when she spotted her own hatchling getting back onto the smooth tree branch. “ _ Hassis! What are you doing? Get off that thing.” _

Harry rolled his eyes, but he set his broom down for the moment. “ _ I need to practice mum. If we’re ever going to get out of this place I need to be able to fly.” _

_ “We will find another way. I will not have you on that death trap.”  _ She hissed at the broom that her hatchling was holding. “ _ Snakes are meant to stay on the ground, not ride around on flying tree branches.” _

There would be no talking the old adder around for the time being. Maybe Harry would be able to convince her to let him practice tomorrow. “ _ Fiiiiine.” _ He’d get back on his broom no matter what. One little crash wasn’t about to stop him from flying again. Harry may not be interested in quidditch anymore, but he still really enjoyed being up in the air. 

“ _ That’s my good hatchling.” _ Hassaria cooed happily. She made other approving sounds when Harry returned his broom to their cave. “ _ Let us hunt and then rest for the evening. You fell quite hard and there’s bruising on your back and shoulder.”  _

_ “I’ll hunt to! I’m great at catching frogs!”  _ The little grass snake piped up. 

_ “No! You will go away and leave me and my hatchling be!”  _

_ “I’m not leaving my nest mate and you can’t make me!”  _

Harry snorted and sat back to enjoy listening to the two snakes bicker again. He wondered if all snake hatchlings were like this and that was why snake mothers didn’t stick around after their eggs had hatched. 

At least he had someone else to talk to now. His life wasn’t nearly as lonely as it had been a few weeks ago. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 4 for everyone, a few hours early even! Thank you everyone for all the comments and kudos! It means a lot to me that this story is getting so much positive attention. 
> 
> I do try to respond to every comment that is posted. I even try to answer questions if they aren't to plot related. 
> 
> Next update will be Monday the 22nd of June. I might post a new chapter earlier than that, but I'm not sure yet. It depends on how much I get written between now and next monday. 
> 
> Come find me on tumblr!: https://ethrildragon.tumblr.com/


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's family is slowly growing now that he is free from his relatives and the wizarding world. He has his mother and now a new little brother! The last month had been amazing for Harry, but he's starting to wonder when his bad luck would strike once again. 
> 
> He really needed to relearn how to fly on his broom so that he and his family can get as far away from Britain as they can. He just wanted to keep his new life and not have to worry about fighting anymore. Is that too much to ask? Apparently it is seeing as how a group of people have found him in the forest after a month of living there.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 5

Despite Hassaria’s insistence that the little grass snake leave, the small snake stayed. Harry was more than happy to include the grass snake in their little family though, having always wanted a sibling. When Hassaria realized that Harry had already grown attached to the grass snake, she stopped trying to chase the little hatchling away. 

She still grumbled quite frequently about how rude the grass snake hatchling was, which the grass snake took as encouragement to just annoy her more. 

Harry found the entire situation wonderfully hilarious and did nothing to stop the grass snake from teasing Hassaria. 

The three of them made a family. A strange little family, but a family nonetheless. Hassaria made a wonderful mother and the little grass snake acted how Harry thought a little brother would act. 

“ _ I still think my name should be Athems!”  _ The little grey grass snake proclaimed while he and Harry wandered around in the forest. 

The name that his little snake brother wanted meant ‘Hidden-death’ and Hassaria had instantly shot it down. Traditionally a hatchling would chose their name based on what they had learned in the first month of their life, but seeing as how the grass snake had insisted, loudly and constantly, that he wanted to be Harry’s nest mate, Hassaria had decided to choose a name for him. As she had with Harry. 

“ _ Mum says your name is Lash. I didn’t get much of a say when she called me ‘Hassis’ so you get to be stuck with ‘Lash’.” _

The named grass snake grumbled and hissed in-eloquently for some time. Harry actually liked the name ‘Lash’ for the grey grass snake. The name was a bit harder for Harry to translate into english, but it either meant something along the lines of ‘Unforgiving-life’ or ‘Eternal-annoyance.’ Harry was pretty sure Hassaria had been thinking of the second one when naming the grass snake. 

Lash, being as tiny as he was, wasn’t really able to coil around Harry’s shoulders. Instead he made himself comfortable around Harry’s wrist. 

“ _ Why are we doing this again?”  _ Lash piped up after several long minutes of quiet grumbling. 

Even though Harry could live on a diet of fresh meat, he found that he still craved fruit. Both he and Hassaria figured that he still had something of human dietary needs so every few days Harry would go out into the forest and gather up whatever nuts and berries he could find. 

It’d been rather hit and miss at first seeing as how Harry had been unsure of what berries were edible for him, but he’d found a few that didn’t make him sick. 

“ _ Because I need more to eat than just meat.” _ Harry must have told Lash the same thing a dozen times already. 

Lash hissed and scoffed. “ _ Just eat different meat. All you ever eat is rabbit! They’re so furry and have lots of bones. Just eat frog. Like me!”  _

Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust. He most definitely did not want to eat raw frogs. He drew the line at mammal prey. Frogs were just too slimy for Harry to ever consider eating. That and every time he looked at a frog, all he could think about was Trevor, Neville’s pet toad. 

He was definitely never eating frogs. 

So Harry spent a couple hours exploring the forest with Lash while picking what berries he could find and grabbing what mushrooms and nuts he could recognize. It was a relaxing experience slithering around with Lash to talk to. Unlike with Hassaria, Lash was young enough to be excited and curious about some of the things in the forest. 

By the time Harry and Lash returned to the cave, Harry had a basket full of little tidbits that he would be able to eat safely. Hassaria had also returned with a few rabbits to split between herself and Harry. 

“ _ You didn’t hunt for me?” _ Lash asked with a pout as he unwound himself from Harry’s wrist to look at the rabbits Hassaria had caught. “ _ Rabbits are too big. I need frogs.” _

Hassaria hissed at Lash and swatted at him with her tail tip. “ _ You can hunt frogs yourself. I will not let you be lazy.” _

_ “You hunt for Hassis though!”  _

_ “Because Hassis has not had enough practice to hunt on his own yet. You are perfectly capable of hunting by yourself.”  _

Lash tilted his head down to pout at Hassaria. He made himself look as small as possible. “ _ But I was helping Hassis with his berries and things. It’ll take me such a long time to hunt for my dinner since I’m so small.”  _

Harry covered his mouth to keep his snickers quiet. Lash had only been with them for a few days, but already the little snake was picking up on certain mannerisms that Harry used on Hassaria on a regular basis. That pouting thing was definitely something that Hassaria had grown weak against.

Hassaria valiantly fought herself for several minutes as she tried not to give into the pouting younger snake. “ _ Fine!”  _ She hissed out at last as she uncoiled from her spot next to the rabbits. “ _ I will get you your frogs. But! Next time you hunt for yourself!” _

_ “Yay!”  _ Lash wriggled happily. “ _ Thank you mummy Hassaria!”  _

As soon as Hassaria was far enough away, Harry uncovered his mouth and started giggling loudly. Between him and Lash, Hassaria was not having an easy life. 

Once Hassaria returned, with what Lash described as a nice fat frog, the three of them ate together. 

While they ate, Harry couldn’t help but wonder if this was what a family dinner was supposed to be like. He’d had meals with the Weasley’s, but those meals had always been loud and chaotic. They hadn’t been anything like the meals the Dursley’s would have, the family meals Harry had always imagined, or the ones he’d gotten glimpses of through windows while being forced to work outside. 

Eating with Hassaria and Lash was a relaxed and quiet affair. It was a bonding experience and even Lash, the talkative little snake, was more than happy to stay quiet while eating. 

Their quiet evening meal was interrupted by a familiar screech. Harry’s head snapped up to the closest tree branch and he grinned brightly when he spotted Hedwig’s white feathers. There was a letter attached to her leg and she was watching Harry apprehensively. 

“Hey girl.” Harry cooed gently as he ripped a piece of rabbit meat from the bone to hold up into the air towards his owl. He felt so happy to see his owl again after thinking that she had left him for good. “I know I look and smell different, but it’s still me.” 

He remembered how the last owl had acted towards him when it had delivered his Hogwarts letter and Dumbledore’s letter. It would break Harry’s heart if Hedwig, his very first gift and closest friend, turned on him as well. 

Several minutes passed as Harry held out the meat towards his owl. Hedwig shifted from foot to foot before giving in and gliding from the tree branch to land on Harry’s shoulder. 

Hedwig still seemed hesitant, but she wasn’t biting at Harry or digging her talons in either. She just sat on his shoulder and nibbled at the meat he was holding up to her. 

In the time it took for Hedwig to settle on Harry’s shoulder, Hassaria had moved from where she’d been eating to lay hidden in Harry’s coiled tail. Lash had quickly hidden under the closest rock. 

  
  


“ _ She won’t hurt you.”  _ Harry said as he tentatively and gently pet Hedwig’s wing feathers. She stiffened on his shoulder, but when Harry kept his movements slow and gentle she relaxed. “Hedwig, this is my new mum, Hassaria. Please don’t hurt her and she won’t hurt you.” Harry very slowly uncoiled his tail just enough so Hedwig could see the old adder, but not be able to dive at her. 

“ _ Owls eat snakes Hassis.” _ Hassaria warned, but she refused to leave her hatchling alone with a possible predator. 

“ _ Hedwig won’t. I promise.”  _ He was sure Hedwig would do as he asked so long as he made sure she understood that Hassaria and Lash were family. “I’ve missed you girl.”

The white owl slowly relaxed the longer Harry pet at her wings. Eventually she was cooing softly and running her beak through Harry’s hair to groom him, like she always did when it was just the two of them. 

Hedwig’s acceptance of Harry and his newly changed form brought tears to his eyes. He hiccuped softly and quickly wiped the tears away when Hedwig chirped questioningly. 

“I’m fine. It’s just been a long month.” Harry chuckled wetly. “You were gone for such a long time Hedwig, I was so worried that something had happened to you.” His owl chirped again and went back to grooming his curly hair. 

It took far longer for Hassaria to relax, but seeing that the owl was ignoring her and wasn’t hurting her hatchling was enough to make her start to trust the beast. Not completely, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about Harry getting hurt again like he had with the last owl.

Lash refused to leave out from under his rock even when Harry called out to him. 

After a few more bits of rabbit meat, Hedwig finally seemed satisfied with Harry and his new state of being. She held out her leg to him and waited patiently for Harry to untie the letter. 

“Thanks girl.” Even after he’d taken the letter, Hedwig chose to stay on his shoulder. He had no words to describe how happy it made him that Hedwig had chosen to stay with him. 

Harry looked over the envelope and frowned when he recognized Hermione’s handwriting. He was pretty sure he had sent Hedwig to Ron and had told her to stay with him until he had written back. At least he knew for sure now that Hermione had gone to the Weasley’s, as he had suspected when he’d called her house before his birthday. 

“They better have a good excuse.” Harry muttered and grinned when Hedwig clicked her beak a few times in agreement. Inside the envelope were two letters, one from Hermione and the other from Ron.

“Harry,

Ron and I are both very sorry for not writing to you this summer, but we were told it would be too dangerous to write to you. Everyone’s so worried that a death eater will find you by tracing your mail. Your safety is very important Harry.

That being said, where are you? When Professor Dumbledore went to pick you up from your relatives, they told him you ran away! How could you be so irresponsible with everything that’s happening? Death eaters have been attacking muggle towns and we’re all sure the missing muggle-borns are being kidnapped. You-know-who has been really quiet, despite his followers raiding towns, but he has to be searching for you. 

After what happened to Sirius, I thought you would be more careful. He wouldn’t want you to endanger yourself like this. Please, please go home Harry! Or if not home, please go to the burrow! We’re not at the burrow right now, but if you go there then someone will be able to find you. 

Please write back Harry,

Hermione”

Harry cursed and balled Hermione’s letter up and threw it into the fire. His sudden movement made Hedwig squawk and flutter her wings to stay balanced on Harry’s shoulders. 

“ _ What is wrong Hassis?” _ Hassaria had started dozing in Harry’s tail coils while he’d whispered to his owl and then read his letter. Her hatchling’s cursing and anger jolted her awake. “ _ You have not been this angry since the last owl.” _

“ _ My...friends...finally wrote to me.”  _ Harry was so angry that his fangs had dropped down and venom was dripping down his chin. Ron’s letter was still in his hand and he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to risk reading it. “ _ Hermione accused me of being irresponsible for running away. She doesn’t even ask if I’m alright and they never wrote because they thought it would be dangerous.”  _ He hissed and some of his venom spattered into the fire. “ _ I would have rather they had written to me about something! Anything! Or done something so that I wasn’t so alone!” _

He was more angry than hurt over everything now. He’d been so worried that something had happened to his friends when he hadn’t heard anything, but now to find out they hadn’t written because they’d been told not to? It was like a knife to the heart. Did no one think about how he would feel to be left so alone? 

Hedwig had moved away from Harry’s shoulder, but had settled on the ground near Harry instead of up in the tree. 

Should he even read Ron’s letter? It would probably be the same as Hermione’s and Dumbledore’s. 

They had been friends for so many years, but Ron and Hermione didn’t even seem to care about what had happened to Harry. If anyone knew him well enough to know he wouldn't run away, it should have been them. Instead they were treating him like the delinquent that his uncle had always accused him of being. 

Making up his mind, Harry balled up Ron’s letter without even reading it and tossed it into the fire as well. 

If Ron and Hermione weren’t going to treat him like a real friend, then Harry was going to completely cut them out of his life. He’d been debating going to them for help over his new inheritance, but now he was just going to go it alone. 

Well, not completely alone. He had his nest mother Hassaria now and his little brother Lash. And it looked like he would also have Hedwig. Once he was strong enough they would leave Britain behind and find others like him so he would never have to be alone again. 

Harry wiped the venom off of his chin with the back of his hand and focused on retracting his fangs. “Sorry about that Hedwig.” He said once he had control over his anger again. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

When Harry reached out to gently touch her feathers again, she let him. Hedwig did click her beak a couple times to tell him not to do it again, but she didn’t seem too upset with him. 

Things settled down around the fire for them after that. Lash eventually came out from hiding and Harry made sure to tell Hedwig that the little grass snake was family. His owl clicked her beak a couple times at the tiny snake, but other than that she chose to ignore the little snake as she was doing with Hassaria. 

Lash got his bravery back after a while and started to try and torment Hedwig. He would sneak up on the owl and bump his head against her legs or side before darting away. After about the fifth time of him doing that, Hedwig got fed up with the little snake’s antics and chose to fly up into the tree to make herself a perch on one of the lower branches. 

“ _ Hedwig is family too Lash, please be nice to her.”  _ Harry told the small snake with a sigh, even though he was smiling. He knew Lash was just testing his boundaries with Hedwig, the same as he had done with Hassaria, and that she would tell him when he had gone to far without actually hurting the little grass snake. Hedwig was smart like that; if Harry told her that someone was family, she knew not to hurt them. 

Night eventually came and Hassaria insisted that they retire to the cave. Harry made sure to wish Hedwig a goodnight before going inside. As he went he took note that the firewood pile, which consisted mostly of fallen branches and twigs Harry had been able to scavenge around camp, had gotten rather low. He would need to go and get more tomorrow. 

Harry curled up in the back of the cave, settling himself at the center of his tail coils. Hassaria curled up around his shoulders while Lash settled himself in Harry’s lap. “ _ Goodnight.” _ He whispered sleepily and smiled when he heard both snakes whisper back to him. 

Perhaps he had once considered returning to the magical world after his inheritance, but now he was determined to just leave. He had his nest mother, brother, and Hedwig with him now. It was high time that he left the people that had abandoned him and the war behind so that he could start living his life the way he wanted. He was tired of fighting, of constantly worrying about who would pop up next to try and kill him. All Harry wanted was to leave peacefully and quietly.

With a sigh Harry pillowed his arms and head against his tail and closed his eyes. Tomorrow he would get back to practicing on his broom. The second he was sure he would be able to fly, he and his family would leave. 

* * *

In the morning Harry made himself a breakfast out of the berries and mushrooms he had found. Hedwig had gone out during the night and had caught herself a couple of rats; one of which she had offered to Harry as soon as he had come out of the cave. 

Seeing the rat had Harry wrinkling his nose in disgust. After everything that had happened with Pettigrew, he was repulsed by the rat. Harry did take it from his owl, thanking her for being so thoughtful, but he gave it to Hassaria who ate it without complaint. 

“ _ We need more kindling and firewood.” _ Harry said with a sigh after his rather unorthodox family had finished eating and waking up to the day. “ _ You want to come Lash?” _

The little grass snake shook his head at the offer. “ _ I went with you for your berries. Mother can go with you.” _

_ “Not your mother.”  _ Hassaria grumbled halfheartedly. Her arguments against being the little grass snakes nest mother were growing more and more infrequent. “ _ But yes, I will go with you my Hassis.” _

Lash gasped dramatically and he reared back. “ _ How can you say that Mother? Would you really abandon me when you have come to adore me so?” _

If a snake could roll its eyes, Harry was sure Hassaria would be doing just that. Instead she just tilted her head back so she could look up at the sky pleadingly. He chuckled softly and held out hand for his nest mother to slither and coil up his arm and around his shoulders. 

“ _ You are like a leech. I doubt I will ever be rid of you now.”  _ Hassaria said as she made herself comfortable around Harry’s shoulders. 

“ _ See? You adore me!”  _ Lash curled up on one of the sunning rocks and tucked his head down to ignore anything else Hassaria might have to say. 

Harry was all giggles as he grabbed the makeshift sash he’d made out of an old pair of jeans that he used to carry branches and twigs. “ _ We’ll be back by lunch hopefully.”  _ He slipped out of Parseltongue as he looked up at Hedwig to speak with her. “I’ll be back soon Hedwig.”

After a month of learning how to use his tail, Harry had gotten pretty good at slithering around in the forest. It was still weird, feeling his scales rub against everything underneath him as he moved, but he’d grown used to it. There were times when he would still get tripped up when trying to turn sharply or climb over things, and sometimes his tail would get tabled up around bushes while he was hunting, but he was getting better!

Most of the fallen branches and twigs had already been picked up around their cave and the small clearing in front of their cave. Harry ended up having to slither through the forest for almost 20 minutes before he was able to find decently sized branches. 

“ _ I smell some rabbits nearby.”  _ Hassaria uncoiled herself from Harry’s shoulders and slid down his back and across his tail to get to the ground. “ _ You keep gathering, I will get us some lunch.”  _

“ _ Thanks mum.” _ He smiled happily as his nest mother moved silently into the underbrush in the direction of the rabbits. He turned a bit to head in the opposite direction so that Hassaria would have an easier time hunting without the rabbits picking up his scent. 

After awhile of picking up any branches and twigs he could find, Harry started getting frustrated. Without a hatchet, axe, or magic he was limited in what he could do. He would definitely be able to get more firewood if he had a tool of some sort, but all he had was the knife that Sirius had given him. Harry was hesitant to use the knife to cut smaller branches and tree limbs since its enchantment was meant to unlock any lock. It would be just his luck to break the knife by doing something not lock picking related. 

So he was stuck scavenging for whatever wood that was on the ground. Once in awhile he was able to use his tail to break off lower branches from trees, but it wore him out after awhile and his tail muscles were still developing. If he worked his tail too much he would end up being too sore to do anything the next day. 

Eventually Harry was able to fill the jean sash he had slung over his shoulder. Seeing as how it was still summer, what he had gathered should last a couple days. 

With his gathering done, Harry turned to head back towards the cave flicking his tongue out to scent the air as he did. Hassaria wasn’t too far away, along with the rabbits she must have caught. The scents of the forest were all around him and Harry was even able to pick up some deer not to far away. 

As tempting as it was to try and take down his first deer, Harry turned away. His nest mother had asked him to not hunt big game unless she was with him. 

Just as he was ducking under a tree branch, a scent he hadn’t tasted before came to him. He stopped and slipped his tongue past his lips to scent the air again. The scent was definitely not from the forest and there was a familiarity to it that niggled at the back of Harry’s mind. It tasted like iron against his tongue, cold wrought iron after a rain storm.

Hassaria’s teachings came to him as he tried to figure out what it was he was smelling. Harry ducked behind a tree and hid himself as best he could as he fought to recognize the scent. His pupils became black slits and he was swiping his tongue across his lips every few seconds. He was sure he was about to figure out what the strange scents were when he caught the scent of his mother moving swiftly towards him.

“ _ Hassis!”  _

Harry turned minutely to look at the brownish grey adder that came shooting into his hiding place. She was able to curl around his shoulders with how close to the ground he was crouching. 

“ _ Strange humans are in the forest. They appear to be hunting something and are carrying sticks like yours.”  _ Hassaria hissed quietly and quickly. “ _ They worry me. We need to return to our nest.” _

Harry blinked in surprise. Those sticks his mother was talking about had to be wands! That meant the strange humans were wizards and witches. With his luck being what it was, they had to be in the forest searching for him. He should have known that someone would come looking for him eventually.

For a moment Harry felt excited. There were other magical humans in the forest that might be able to help him with his tail problem! They might know a way for him to get his legs back! His excitement vanished almost as soon as he felt it. There was just as much of a chance that the strangers were Death eaters as there was of them being Order members.

If they were from the Order, that meant they would be taking him back to Dumbledore. The old man had made it very clear to Harry that he would be playing a major part in the war and in defeating Voldemort, the prophecy proved that. Even if they could help him, they would never let him live in peace and quiet again. They would drag him back to Hogwarts where he would have to be around the people that had abandoned him. He would be forced to be around people that he had once called friends, but had come to realize that they really didn’t care about him.

Death eaters would just kill him as soon as they saw him. 

It was completely possible that the humans weren’t affiliated with either groups and were neutral, but Harry had no guarantee that they wouldn’t attack him seeing as how he was now a dark creature.

No. He couldn’t reveal himself to the humans even if they were there to help him. He had to protect himself and his small family. He gently set the woodpile down to free up his arms so he could move without risking making noise. 

At least he’d had a month to learn how to move swiftly and silently with his new tail. He and Hassaria made it back to camp in record time. 

The scent of the humans fell back and Harry let out a small relieved breath. Whoever it was that was in the forest, wasn’t used to the dense trees and underbrush so they were moving slowly. It gave Harry time to grab his school bag with his most precious belongings and flee. 

But to where? Harry had only just started trying to relearn how to fly! If he tried to fly so soon he might end up falling off and hurting himself and his snake family, but he couldn’t leave them behind. A single day of trying to fly again wasn't nearly enough time to get used to flying with a tail, but what other choice did he have? It wasn't like he could use magic what with the trace. Harry had no idea if Voldemort had infiltrated the ministry yet or not; if he had, the madman would be able to use the trace to find him just as easily as the Order. 

“ _ Lash!”  _ It was to Harry’s immense relief that his little brother was still on his sunning rock. The little grass snake grumbled sleepily, but woke right up when Harry grabbed him from the rock. “ _ Wrap up tight to my wrist. Strangers are in the forest and I think they are coming for me.”  _

_ “Why would humans be coming for you?”  _

“ _ Now is not the time for questions hatchling.”  _ Hassaria hissed sharply. “ _ Grab your things Hassis, and your tree branch. We must leave quickly, the humans are getting closer.” _

Sure enough Hassaria was right. The scents of the unknown humans were getting steadily closer to his cave. They definitely had to be after him, it wasn’t like the humans were veering around in the forest. No. They were heading straight for his cave and towards him. 

Harry emptied out his school bag and grabbed his cloak, photo album, and the mirror Sirius had given him. His knife was still in the bag along with his wand. “Hedwig.” Harry called out softly as he grabbed his broom from where it was leaning against the cave wall. 

His snowy owl hooted softly, sensing that her master wanted to keep hidden and quiet. “We have to leave girl.” He had no idea where they were going, just that they had to leave. He was confident that no matter the distance, Hedwig would find him again so he wasn’t worried about losing her.

Not only could Harry smell the humans getting closer, but he could hear them now. They were speaking softly enough that he couldn’t make out words, but he definitely heard at least 3 different voices. 

A small part of him hesitated over leaving again. Maybe...maybe whoever it was that was coming for him could help? They might know a way for him to get his legs back and to at least appear human again. 

“ _ Hurry my Hassis!” _

Hassaria’s distressed words and panicked voice broke through Harry’s hesitation. 

The chances that the strangers would help him were slim. He was a dark creature now and wizards had a habit of mistreating and hurting dark creatures. Harry refused to be captured and be forced to fight in a war that had claimed so many of his loved ones or be dragged before the madman that wanted to kill him.

His best chance to have a free and peaceful life was to leave Britain behind. 

The voices were getting louder and he caught his name being spoken a few times. Harry slipped his broom under his bum and wrapped a portion of his tail around the bottom of his broom. He pushed off of the ground with a part of his tail being careful not to be too hasty as he had the day before. Elation filled Harry when he didn’t just zip up into the sky like he had done last time. 

Suddenly a spell shot past him and slammed into the rock wall of his cave, blasting it and showering Harry with rock shards and dust.

“ _ Hang on!” _ He told his two snakes as he used his hands to tilt his broom up to start lifting higher into the air. Harry kept his upper body low on his broom to make himself into as small a target as possible.

“Is that him?”

“The hell is that?!”

“Stun it before it gets away!” 

Harry paled as several stunning spells were sent flying at him. He jerked his broom and his speed increased drastically, sending him straight into the air. A red streak of light just barely brushed past his shoulder making Hassaria hiss angrily. 

The wizards were still shooting spells at Harry even as he flew higher and higher into the sky. He was well above the trees and when he glanced down the three figures in the clearing of his family’s nest, they were the size of ants. One of the humans on the ground had bubblegum pink hair and Harry knew only one person with hair like that. 

Tonks.

If Tonks was there that meant the Order were the ones that were attacking him. They hadn’t even tried to talk to him before sending a blasting curse and lots of stunners at him. 

Harry knew he didn’t look much like his old self, but that gave them no reason to attack him straight off the bat!

“Shit!” Another curse as flung at him and Harry rolled his broom to get away. He could hear Lash moaning and threatening to be sick as he rolled several times through the air. 

Not knowing whether or not the wizards and witch on the ground had brooms, Harry chose to risk crashing in order to fly as fast as possible to get away. They were high enough up in the air that Harry should, theoretically, be able to make corrections so that they wouldn’t crash. He leaned against his broom just as he used to during quidditch in order to get as much speed as possible. 

Pushing his firebolt to its absolute limits was both thrilling and horrifying. It’d been forever since the last time he’d been in the air and he remembered just why he loved flying as fast as possible. At the same time though he knew he didn’t have the same amount of control as he used to without legs. 

His broom was shivering and would start to dive whenever he started to lean forward to try and get better seated, which would make him jerk his broom back up so that they were flying level again. 

Harry could feel that both Hassaria and Lash were tense. They were both wrapped tightly around him and were hissing in agitation with each breath they took. “ _ Keep your eyes on me.” _ He practically shouted over the sound of the rushing wind. 

Snakes were not meant to fly so being so high up in the air and away from the ground had both Hassaria and Lash panicked. He needed to keep them from looking down, especially Hassaria as she was progressively getting tighter around his neck. 

After awhile of flying so fast that Harry couldn’t make out anything on the ground, he came to the conclusion that the trio of Order members had not been prepared to chase him through the air. To be on the safe side he kept up the insane speeds for another few minutes before slowing down to a more controlled and comfortable speed. Harry also had his broom lift higher up so that if anyone on the ground saw him they would assume he was a bird or something. 

“ _ I do not like your flying tree branch.”  _ Hassaria’s hissed words were fast and almost intelligible. “ _ No I do not.” _

“ _ I feel sick.”  _ Lash whimpered from where he was practically strangling Harry’s wrist. “ _ Very, very sick.”  _

_ “Just hold on for a little while. I’ll try to find someplace to land soon.”  _ Now that they were flying at a cruising speed, Harry could better make out the landscape below them. 

They were currently flying over a residential area. His broom must have been flying faster than he’d originally thought since he couldn’t even see any sign of a forest from behind them. With how fast he’d taken off, Harry hadn’t at first known what direction they were going. Judging on where the sun was, they were heading south. 

He just hoped they could find some forested area to land in to rest. Harry doubted he would be able to keep them flying for however long it would take to leave Britain in one go. 

At least he knew he could fly now without crashing. Landing, on the other hand, was still a very ominous question mark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday, after I had posted chapter 4, I proceeded to get inspiration whiplash and finished 2 chapters in rapid succession (ok it took a few hours, but hey that's fast for me). So you guys get chapter 5 a week early. 
> 
> A reminder that I do try to respond to questions and comments. I can't answer anything too plot related, but I do try to give hints. 
> 
> Chapter 6 will be posted on Monday the 22nd of June. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr: ethrildragon


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and his family are forced to flee from their forest when Tonks and two others show up and attack them unprovoked. After flying for hours, Harry finally finds another forest to land in for the night. He's determined to get them to the continent as quickly as possible so that they can start the search for others like him. By morning, Harry's bad luck resurfaces once again and he wakes up to find a group of wolves have surrounded him and his family. Why can't he have one day, ONE DAY, where nothing bad happens?!

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 6 

Tonks and the two unknown wizards were no longer chasing Harry. At least he hoped that was the case seeing as how he hadn’t seen any sort of pursuit since they’d first taken off. He was hoping that with how fast they’d gone, they’d lost anyone that had been following them. 

To be on the safe side though, Harry didn’t stop flying. He kept on flying south even when the sky started getting darker and the air got colder. The summer warmth lingered long enough that Harry didn’t at first notice the chill that was starting to settle against his bare skin. 

He didn’t notice he was starting to fall asleep, his eyes blinking slower and slower, until suddenly there was a very sharp and intense pain in his hand. 

“FUCK!” Harry lifted his hand up and glared at where Lash had bitten into the flesh at the base of his thumb. “ _ Why’d you bite me?!”  _

Grass snakes didn’t have venom, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have fangs. Fangs, no matter the size, hurt! Even with his magic rapidly healing the wound, once Lash had removed his fangs from his hand, the pain was still there. 

“ _ You fell asleep!” _ Lash said quickly as he ducked his head in apology. “ _ You were starting to tilt over and the tree branch dropped.” _

Lash was right. They’d lost altitude when Harry had started to nod off. They were still pretty high up, but if Lash had waited for Harry to shake himself awake they might have gotten too low for him to pull up. 

Why hadn’t Hassaria kept him awake?

Harry used his injured hand to gently rub the snake at his neck, but he jerked in surprise when his fingers brushed against chilled scales. Harry pressed his hand against his nest mother in fear that she had died, but when he felt her heartbeat he sighed in relief. It was slow, dangerously slow, but he could still feel the gentle thumping of his mother’s heart. 

“ _ I’m so cold.”  _ Lash’s tiny body shivered around Harry’s wrist. The little snake whimpered and rubbed against Harry to try and soak up as much of his warmth as possible. He had probably been able to stay warmer than Hassaria because his smaller size was able to press up against more of Harry’s body for warmth. 

At the mention of how cold it was getting, Harry finally noticed that he himself was freezing. He’d practically lost feeling in his tail and the patches of scales across his torso were like ice. It was no wonder that he’d started to fall asleep with how cold he’d gotten. 

His shoulders would have been shaking had it not been for the heavy weight of Hassaria. 

Harry wasn’t quite as cold blooded as a normal snake, but cold temperatures still tended to put him to sleep. 

They’d been flying south for hours, but Harry had yet to see any sort of forest or woods they could hide in for the night. He’d spotted a couple areas that had clumps of trees, but they were always too close to a town or village. Harry wasn’t going to risk their safety by landing so close to humans. 

“ _ I’m sorry.” _ He whispered as he tucked his injured hand, the one that Lash was wrapped around, close to his chest. “ _ We’ll land soon, I promise.”  _

It had gotten dark while they’d been flying. There was still a tiny bit of light left on the horizon, just enough for Harry to be able to see the landscape, but the light was fading fast so they needed to find some place to land and soon. 

The sky was dark enough that Harry was willing to risk getting closer to the ground. They would need to in order to spot some place to hide. At this point Harry was willing to hide out in an old farm barn or shed until morning if it meant getting him and his family warm again. 

His luck held out though and as soon as he got low enough to see the landscape better, Harry spotted a large patch of forest straight ahead of them.

A tired sigh of relief was all Harry could manage. The tiredness from the cold air was settling over him again and Harry could feel himself starting to fall asleep. Now that he knew he was falling asleep, he was able to shake himself awake before Lash could even attempt to bite him again. 

“ _ We’ll land there for the night.”  _ Lash had gone quiet making Harry worry about just how cold the little grass snake had gotten. “ _ Just hold on for a little while longer.” _

The forest they were headed for was the perfect size to hide in. Harry could vaguely remember seeing a town several miles away, but the forest looked to be old and thick. That usually meant humans didn’t frequent it often. 

Part of Harry’s tail, the part that was dangling just below his broom, was brushing against the treetops once they’d descended far enough. He found a break in the trees and slowed his broom down even more so that they could sink down between the trees. Just as his head was about to duck down, Harry glanced up in time to spot a couple pointy roof spires off in the distance.

He’d only seen the roof spires for a moment before he was below the top of the tree line. Harry was too tired to worry about how far out the building was. If he hadn’t noticed the building when they’d been up higher, Harry doubted it was close enough to be a problem. 

It wasn’t like they would be staying in the forest for more than a night anyway. As soon as morning came he and his small family would be back up in the air and flying south once more. They would make it to the continent tomorrow and start looking for snakes that might know where to find others like him. 

Finally they touched down and Harry stiffly unwrapped from around his broom. He groaned tiredly and weakly as his tail slumped against the ground. He was almost too tired to even coil up. 

He wished he could coil up to get some sleep, he really did, but Harry knew he couldn’t get comfortable just yet. He had to find a way to get his mother and brother warm again. His own body was chilled to the bone even though he was too numb to feel it. 

Hopefully a small fire would go unnoticed. 

There were plenty of twigs, brush, and fallen tree branches around that Harry was able to make a small pile pretty quickly. He dug around in his school bag until he found his knife and the piece of flint stone that he had found a couple days after his uncle had left him in the forest. Once he had those two things in hand, he found some moss and dry leaves and started striking his knife against the flint until sparks flew into the moss. 

It took a few minutes, but eventually he was able to get the sparks to ignite inside of the moss. From there he put the, now burning, moss into the pile of twigs and branches. 

For several long minutes Harry held his breath. Finally, finally, a fire flickered to life in the small pile of wood. 

The flames were tiny, but he could already feel heat coming off of them. Harry lifted Hassaria from around his neck and set her as close to the fire as was safe. Lash joined her on the ground, his movements slow and weak. 

“ _ You two get warm. I’m going to put together some sort of shelter.” _ Harry had seen a small snippet of a survivalist show once while at the Dursley’s. It hadn’t been much, but he had been able to see what looked to be some sort of nest made out of branches and bushes. He had no idea how to make it, but anything that would give them some sort of cover would be better than nothing. 

At first Harry just stood next to the fire looking around, at a loss as to what to do next. Then he spotted a decent sized rock not too far away and he went to it. It was heavy, but he was able to roll it after pushing at it for a minute or so. Harry rolled it until it was situated next to some of the taller bushes that were near the fire. He then went into the forest to find the largest tree branches that he could find. 

Harry’s luck must have really been on his side at that moment. He found a couple large tree branches that had been ripped from their trees, probably from a recent wind storm. They were fresh enough that the leaves were still green. 

They were hard to drag, but Harry was determined to get some sort of shelter put together. Using his tail to lift one end of each tree branch, he lifted them up to settle them across the rock and the bushes. 

It would be a tight fit, but Harry was sure he would fit under the tree branches. Maybe not all of his tail would fit, but the green of his scales would give him a little bit of camouflage while it was dark out. 

By the time he got the two large branches in place, Hassaria had warmed up enough to wake up. She lifted her head sleepily and looked around in confusion. 

“ _ I found another forest to land in for the night.”  _ Harry told his mother before she could even think to ask. “ _ We’ll leave in the morning. Hopefully we’re not far from the coast so we can fly over the channel and be over the continent before night tomorrow.” _

Harry was pretty sure they would make it to the coast by lunch. He’d find a place to land so they could rest up for a bit before taking off again. If he couldn’t find a spot near the coast to rest he would just keep on flying. Thankfully the summer heat had kept up so he wasn’t as concerned about the three of them getting chilled during the day. 

After a little longer of scavenging for branches that could be used to cover their little hiding spot, Harry crouched down and slipped in. The fire had died down and the coals weren’t in danger of setting the forest around them on fire. 

Hassaria nudged at Lash until the little grass snake woke back up, grumbling the entire time, and pushed at him until he joined Harry in the little temporary shelter. 

“ _ Everything will be alright, my hatchlings.”  _ Hassaria murmured as Harry curled up with his nest mother and brother safely tucked away in his lap. “ _ We will find a new home. A safer home where no humans will find us.”  _

Harry truly and deeply hoped his mother was right. He wanted there to be others like him somewhere in the world so that he and his family would be safe and protected. He didn’t want to be used as a weapon and fight in a war. He definitely didn’t want to be hunted down and murdered by some psychopath. All he wanted was peace and quiet for him and his family. 

With those last thoughts on his mind, Harry closed his eyes and burrowed into the coils of his tail with Hassaria and Lash. Morning couldn’t come soon enough for him. 

* * *

The small family of three ended up being more exhausted than they had first thought. Usually Hassaria was the first to wake up in the morning, but even she slept in for far longer than was normal. When she finally did start to stir, the sun was already well above the horizon. 

“ _ Hassis, Lash, it is time to wake.”  _ The mother snake hissed as she prodded at her two hatchlings with her tail and nose. 

Lash grumbled and woke up just long enough to wrap his body around Harry’s wrist. Harry on the other hand sat up slowly while rubbing his eyes. 

“ _ s’it morning already?” _ Harry had only ever been a ‘morning’ person because of the Dursleys. If given the chance, he would always choose to sleep in and relax in the mornings; especially if he had a nice, thick, soft, warm blanket to curl up under. 

Hassaria nudged at Harry’s cheek with her nose until he was a little more coherent. Even then she kept nuzzling and nudging until he swatted at her. 

_ “Stop mum! I’m awake.”  _ He heard her chuckling at him and Harry stuck his tongue out at her. 

The second his tongue was past his lips, one of the strangest scents he had ever encountered hit his senses. It was musky, layered with all sorts of smells that could be found in a forest, with undertones of dog and old blood. His shoulders became tense and his pupils became slits as he peered out into the dense trees surrounding their makeshift camp. 

At first he didn’t see anything, but that did nothing to alleviate the tension in his body. The forest around them was quiet and still, unnaturally so. 

_ “Wolf.” _

Harry trusted that his mother knew what it was they were smelling. He’d never encountered a wolf after his inheritance, but his mother had years and years of experience over him. If there was a wolf nearby, they should probably leave. He had yet to test just how deadly his venom was, especially on something larger than a rabbit, and Harry didn’t want to take the chance that a wolf wouldn’t be taken down fast enough for his venom to work. 

Spotting his broom on the other side of the ash remains of their fire, Harry cursed. He’d been so tired while building their little shelter that he hadn’t even tried to keep his broom close at hand. His bag was still slung over his shoulder at least. 

Moving as silently as he could, Harry crawled out from under the low hanging branches he had used as his shelter’s roof. Once free he straightened up and absently brushed away the dirt that had smeared on his chest. 

Lash was more awake now and was grumbling about being hungry. Their nest mother hushed him swiftly and for once Lash did as he was told. 

The wolf smell was strong in the air and Harry could even smell it with just his nose. Either it was a single wolf that was hiding behind some trees close by, or a pack of wolves not far with just how strong the smell was. 

Just as Harry started moving towards his broom, a twig snapped to his left. Harry’s head swung around and he instantly hissed threateningly. 

Standing there, leaning against a tree, was one of the largest and filthiest men Harry had ever seen. The man’s dark blond hair was ragged and peppered with grey. The whites of his eyes were tinged yellow and there was an amber ring around the blue of his eyes. Instead of a shirt, the man wore an old leather vest that was open and showing off his muscled chest and arms. His pants were worn blue jeans with frayed hems. His shoulders were broad and his neck was thick with muscles. 

Harry would have at first thought the man a muggle survivalist, but when he smirked Harry could see that his teeth were pointed and sharp. 

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” The man practically cooed, still leaning against the tree. “You have to be some sort of dark creature seeing as how you somehow slipped past the wards around my territory.” 

The thick musky scent of a wolf was coming from the man. It wasn’t just sitting on the man, which would have happened had the man been in contact with a wolf. No. It was coming from the man. ‘Not a wolf then,’ thought Harry ‘a werewolf.’

For the longest minutes of Harry’s life, the two of them just stared at each other. The man stayed leaning against the tree while Harry stood stock still. They were both predators waiting to see who would make the first move. 

It was like a rubber band just snapped after an eternity of just staring at each other. Harry dove for his broom while the man snapped his arm out and flicked his hand up.

Harry should have known that the werewolf had a wand on him. Just as his fingers were about to grasp his broom, the firebolt zipped away from him due to a summoning spell and ended up in the free hand of the werewolf. Harry hissed angrily and slowly turned his head to glare at the man, who was grinning cockily at Harry. He rose up slowly from his half crouch, his eyes never leaving the stranger. Harry felt his fangs slowly descending and the venom building up on the tips of those dangerously curved teeth. 

“Now how did a creature like you get your hands on one of the most expensive racing brooms on the market?” The werewolf asked as he inspected Harry’s firebolt. He didn’t seem at all bothered by the threatening display Harry was giving him, nor did he seem concerned by the venom that was leaking from Harry’s fangs. 

“Well?”

“ _ As if I’d tell you anything.”  _ Since his inheritance, Harry had found it difficult to keep from slipping into parseltongue whenever he was emotional and at the moment he was pissed. It was like English had become his second language and parseltongue had become his primary. 

The werewolf tilted his head and frowned a bit as he looked Harry over. Harry followed the man’s eyes as he slowly looked him over. The man’s eyes started with Harry’s wavy black hair that fell in waves across his face, took in his practically glowing green eyes, jumped back and forth from one patch of scales to another across Harry’s chest and shoulders, then moved down to where skin met scales at Harry’s hips. The man’s gaze lingered on Harry’s groin area long enough to make Harry feel uncomfortable before following the curved line of Harry’s tail. 

“My guess is that a cute young thing like you just came into a creature inheritance. You’re probably from a rich light family and the moment you realized you were a dark creature, you ran away.” The man twirled Harry’s broom around in the air. “You know what that makes you?” 

Harry definitely did not like the way the man’s lips turned up into a dark grin, showing off his sharp yellow teeth, nor did he like the way the man was treating Harry’s firebolt. 

“It makes you  _ underage.” _

More sounds of snapping twigs and rustling leaves filled the area and Harry cursed when he realized he’d been surrounded. The werewolf had been purposefully distracting him! The man was part of a pack and those other werewolves were now blocking every escape Harry might have had. 

“Now then.” The man handed Harry’s broom off to another roughly dressed sneering man next to him, who took the broom and shrank it down with a wave of his wand. Harry watched hissing and growling as one of the new strangers pocketed his beloved firebolt. “You’re on the run so you won’t be using the magic to set off the trace. All we have to worry about are your natural defenses.”

The stranger lifted a hand and cracked the joints when he curled his fingers in towards his palms a bit. Harry could see that he had thick claws attached to his fingers. 

“We got a few ourselves.”

“ _ I smell ten. They are keeping well away from the reach of your tail.” _

Ten people, almost all of them had to be werewolves, were more than Harry could handle without magic. He might be able to take down a few using his claws and fangs, but if they all ganged up on him all at once...Harry wouldn’t be able to fight them all off. 

“Why don’t you be a smart kid and surrender. Our boss would be real interested in meeting you.”

Without his broom, Harry couldn’t see a way out. He had his wand, but the stranger was right; the last thing Harry wanted was to use underage magic and have the ministry show up. If aurors showed up they would be just as likely to attack HIM as they would the werewolves; probably more so him since he was an obvious dark creature and the werewolves at least looked human.

He doubted whoever their ‘boss’ was, was a good guy. Surrendering and letting this pack of werewolves take him was out of the question. 

“ _ To your left Hassis. There is a slim gap between the wolves!”  _ Harry could have kissed his nest mother at that moment. 

In all honesty the werewolves should have known Harry was getting help from the two snakes wrapped around him. He’d already spoken parseltongue once and it wasn’t like Hassaria was tiny like Lash or had the same scale colors as Harry. 

The moment Hassaria hissed for him to go, Harry shot away. The two men he slipped past cursed and tried to grab his tail, but a powerful slashing motion of his tail had both of them on the ground groaning. He mourned the loss of his firebolt, especially since he needed it to get across the channel, but he wasn’t going to risk his life to get it back. He would find another way to get to the continent. 

Harry kept his body close to the ground as he propelled himself through the forest. He could hear the werewolves yelling and chasing after him, but Harry kept his focus on getting away. He was fast enough to keep ahead of the werewolves, but once in a while one would gain just enough ground to get next to him. Whenever that happened Harry would spit venom at the man and then change directions. 

At one point Harry even swiped he claws at a werewolf that got close enough to almost grab his arm. He was rushing away before any of the others could catch up and Harry had no idea if he had actually hurt the person that had tried to catch him.

Even though Harry hated the idea of hurting people, especially strangers that might not actually be bad, he wasn’t about to give into his morals and allow himself to be grabbed. He wasn’t going to become a prisoner with his future taken from him! 

Moving around so rapidly and fighting off people trying to grab him was tiring him quickly though. Either Harry would have to turn and stand his ground or risk pulling out his wand and using magic. 

It was curious though; the werewolves were chasing him and trying to catch him, but they weren't using magic. He knew at least two of the werewolves had wands. Wouldn’t it be easier to use the freezing charm or incarcerous? Or even petrificus totalus? 

Harry’s scattered thoughts stopped when he darted past a grouping of trees and into a relatively open area. He was dumbfounded for a moment when, instead of more forest or even farmland, he found himself just beyond the gates of a very large and tall manor that sported at least a half dozen spires. 

He had no time to consider trying to find a way around the manor when a werewolf burst out from the trees to his right. Harry cursed in parseltongue and was about to dart left when another werewolf came at him from that direction. With no other choice, Harry dropped back down and slithered quickly towards the wrought-iron gates. His best chance to get away was to get past the gates and hopefully cut through the large property surrounding the manor. 

Hopefully no one in the manor would notice him and curse him. 

Praying that his luck would hold out, Harry grabbed hold of one side of the gates to try and pull it open so he could get through. A wave of relief rushed over him when he found the gate unlocked and opened without even a creak in the hinges. 

“ _ Wait, Hassis!”  _ Hassaria suddenly yelled at Harry as the boy slipped through the gate in his attempt to get away from their pursuers. 

The warning came too late for Harry. As soon as he was past the gate, strong magic washed over him and grabbed hold of him. Harry found that his body was suddenly frozen. The only part of him that he could still move were his eyes. Even the part of his tail that was still on the other side of the gate was frozen in place. Harry hadn’t seen or felt a spell hit him, and yet magic had stopped him in his tracks. 

The two werewolves that had been closest to him when he’d made it out of the forest were chuckling darkly and walking slowly up to him. They stopped on the other side of the gates though. 

“Should have just surrendered, kid.” The first werewolf said as he finally came out of the forest at a casual stroll. “Could have made things easy on yourself if you had. Then again,” The man pulled open the gates and stepped past the invisible barrier with ease. “It has been awhile since my pack has had as good a chase as that.” 

The man stepped around Harry until he was standing right in front of him. “You almost got away a couple times, even gouged a couple of my wolves pretty good. You could be really impressive with the proper training.”

What was this, some kind of interview?! Harry wanted so much to just slash his claws through the stranger. He couldn’t care less if he could be impressive or whatever, he just wanted to get away from the werewolves and to the continent so he could be free from the bloody war.

“Alpha.” A voice said from behind Harry. He hated how defenseless he was at that moment. All the werewolves must have caught up by then and, except for the one that was talking to him, they were all out of Harry’s sight. 

The man looked past Harry and after a moment he nodded. “They’ll have noticed by now. You lot get back to camp while I take care of this.” He ordered gruffly. “Organize a hunting party and get something for the pack to eat.” 

Harry could hear the werewolves behind him moving away and back into the forest. No sooner had the wolves all left, that Harry’s worst nightmare came to pass. A series of pops and cracks filled the air and the area around the gate was filled with black robed figures with white and silver masks. 

Death Eaters. 

The manor belonged to Death Eaters and the werewolves had chased him straight into the clutches of Voldemort’s followers. 

Even though Harry expected to be instantly hit with stunners and curses, nothing came at him. The Death Eaters were watching Harry where he was frozen in place. They were curious about him, that much Harry could tell, but they weren’t attacking him. 

Harry realized why pretty quickly. His hair, which had gotten longer since his inheritance, had fallen across his forehead and was hiding his scar. Without his glasses on his face or his scar visible, Harry was sure none of the Death Eaters recognized him. 

Then again who would ever expect Harry Potter had creature blood and would have a creature inheritance when he turned 16? From what Hassaria had told him, the creature inheritance that Harry had been ‘blessed’ with was extremely rare. She believed the bloodlines that could actually claim the creature blood had all left Britain many generations ago. 

It was absurd to think about, but for the moment Harry was as safe as he could be. At least until they figured out who he was. 

“Well done Greyback! Such a pretty little snake you’ve brought us!” One of the masked followers said while cackling. The voice was so obviously feminine and the cackle was maniacal and high pitch. 

He knew that cackle! He knew that voice! It belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange; the woman that killed Sirius! Harry struggled against whatever magic was holding him in place and his eyes burned in silent rage as he glared in the direction the voice had come from. 

Harry was fighting against the magic so hard that he felt his hand twitch. His neck muscles ached as he forced his head to slowly turn to look directly at the woman that had spoken. As he fought to turn his head, Harry felt Hassaria shifting around against his skin. With his body frozen, his skin had become numb and unfeeling. Harry hadn’t been able to feel if Lash or Hassaria had been frozen as well, but now he knew his two snake companions were safe from the magic.

“Damn the kid’s strong! He’s actually fighting the wards.” The werewolf, Greyback, exclaimed with a wicked grin. 

Bellatrix cackled again and she danced forward a few steps. “Such pretty scales, see how they glitter! Like pretty little emeralds.” her voice was practically cooing as she got closer. 

“ _ They’ll look better covered in your blood!”  _ Harry hissed at her and snapped at the air towards her, his fangs glistening with his venom. 

Hearing Harry speak parseltongue had several of the Death Eaters shifting around uncomfortably. Bellatrix though, the mad woman, cooed again and giggled as if Harry had done something incredibly adorable. She was acting like she was looking at the cutest little child in existence, not a hissing half snake creature with long wicked fangs that were dripping with dangerous venom. 

“Our Lord will want to see the boy right way.” One of the Death Eaters proclaimed. Whoever it was, Harry couldn’t see him since he’d turned his head and the man was on his other side, stepped closer to Harry. 

Just as the man came close enough to Harry, he felt Hassaria lash out with such speed. Harry heard the man yell out in pain and he just knew Hassaria had buried her fangs into the man before rearing back to the safety of Harry’s shoulders. 

“Oh how cute!” Bellatrix squealed even as the Death Eater that had been bitten cursed and groaned from the snake bite. 

“Kill the blasted snake and let’s get the boy to our Lord!” The bitten Death Eater yelled even as his words stuttered and he panted. 

“Shut up Mauller!” Bellatrix screeched back even as she pulled out her wand and shot a stunner at Hassaria and another at Lash. “Our Lord would be most displeased if we harmed any of our guests.” 

Harry refused to feel gratefulness towards Bellatrix, but he was relieved that she hadn’t done anything worse than to stun his snake mother and brother. He would hate her for the rest of time for what she had done to Sirius, but at the moment he was just thankful she seemed to be on his side. 

As soon as he had the chance though, he was going to use her to test just how deadly his venom was. 

“There, you big baby. The ickle snakes are stunned.” With the normal snakes stunned, Bellatrix proceeded to conjure thick ropes that wrapped tightly around Harry’s arms. “Come along pretty one, I’ll take good care of you!” The end of the rope was held tightly in Bellatrix’s hand. 

Harry shivered as he felt the magic that had frozen him slide away from his skin. It felt like slime being dragged down his body to the ground. 

The moment his body could move, he lunged at Bellatrix who laughed and side stepped his attack. Having his arms pinned to his sides threw Harry’s balance off and he ended up with his chest pressed against the ground. Even still, he swung around to hiss at Bellatrix again.

“Oh you are so darling!” 

_ “And you’re bloody insane!”  _

Again Bellatrix cooed and awed at Harry’s use of Parseltongue. She flicked her wand up into the air and a shimmery transparent shield surrounded her. “As adorable as you are, my pretty, I can’t have you biting me. No, no, that just won’t do.” 

She practically skipped forward down the long hedge lined path, dragging Harry along with her. He tried to pull backwards, but she had an iron grip on the rope so when he tried to fight against her pulling, she just dragged him forward. The rest of the Death Eaters followed along on either side of Bellatrix and Harry.

How was such a thin witch so bloody strong? Harry felt like he was as light as a feather with her forcefully pulling him down the long cobblestone path. Then again he probably was pretty light weight. He’d lost a lot of weight during his time at the Dursley’s and then he’d only been surviving on rabbits and foraging since his birthday. 

Harry looked up at the manor as they got closer. As much as he hated to admit it, he was in awe at the sight of the building. It wasn’t nearly as magnificent or breath taking as Hogwarts was, but the manor before him was definitely beautiful in the light of day. 

The walls were made out of large light colored stones. The roof and the spires were a lovely navy blue. Most of the windows had simple glass, but the ones in the upper stories of the turrets had glistening and colorful stained glass mosaics. Lovely little flowers wrapped around the corner of the manor, following paths that diverged from the main walkway and Harry could hear the soft tinkling of water in a fountain past the tall hedges. 

It was a beautiful place and Harry half heartedly wished he could be at the manor under better circumstances. 

His awe was broken when the large dark front doors of the manor creaked open. Harry swallowed thickly and he hesitated just long enough to feel Bellatrix tugging at the rope again. He wanted desperately to free his arms so he could grab his wand from his bag. Screw the trace, he’d take his chances with the ministry if it meant getting away from Voldemort and his insane followers. 

“Awe, is my pretty one frightened? Don’t you worry deary, our Lord will adore you!” 

“ _ Not bloody likely.” _ Harry mumbled miserably. He slithered forward after another tug from the rope. This was it. He was so dead when Voldemort found out just who he was. Maybe he could beg Voldemort to let his mother and brother go before Voldemort killed him? 

It was worth a try. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone asks, yes, Harry will be meeting Voldemort in the next chapter! I just love cliff hangars though so you guys get to suffer for a little while. 
> 
> That being said, I'm ahead of schedule for writing so I'll be posting Chapter 7 on Wednesday the 24th of June. After that Chapter 8 will be posted on Monday the 29th of June. No matter how many extra chapters I post, there will always be an update on Mondays. 
> 
> So! A couple readers (you know who you are) suggested I write little snippets between chapters, nothing plot related really, just something extra for the 'behind the scenes' things. If I did do this, I'd be posting them in a separate story which would make this into a series (kinda). Would you guys be interested if I did this? The chapters would be fairly short, probably only 1k each. I might even ask for suggestions for the snippets each week. I'd be sure to say where the snippet is versus the main story (which chapter it's related to), and I'll probably keep the timeline similar to the main story so you won't get to see future info before I'm ready. 
> 
> Tell me what you think in the comments. If there's enough interest in the snippets I'll start writing some up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's luck definitely sucks. First the Order find him and chase him out of the forest he and his family were living in, then werewolves chase him through the new forest he had been resting in. Now he was being dragged towards his inevitable doom by none other than insane Bellatrix. If he ever gets his hands free, Harry plans on ripping Bellatrix's tongue out of her mouth just to get her to stop cooing and giggling at him. He wasn't cute damn it!

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 7

Bellatrix was babbling. That was the only way Harry could describe her cooing and nonsensical words. Every time she talked to him it sounded like she was talking to a small child and it was pissing Harry off. He was 16 years old damnit, not a small adorable child for the insane woman to gush over. Her incessant babbling was also distracting Harry from looking around and finding a way to freedom.

It felt like it took an eternity for her to take Harry into the manor and down the hall to a pair of wide dark wood doors that were inlaid with gold. 

Harry wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when the crazy woman pushed open the doors with a flourish of her skirts and a high pitched giggle. He’d half been expecting to see tortured bodies of muggles lining the walls, pools of blood staining carpets and cold stone floors, and piles of bones around an elaborate throne. Instead Bellatrix tugged on the rope and escorted him into what looked to be a rather normal ballroom. 

Well, maybe not exactly normal. The marble floor had gold embellishments, the walls had beautiful hand carved wood panels with ornate tapestries hanging down, and even though there was a throne at one end it wasn’t all that out of place. It was made of wood, as far as Harry could see, and carved with intricate instriptions, runes, and snakes. 

“What have you brought me, my Bella?” 

Harry had been so engrossed in admiring the ballroom he’d failed to notice that there were three other people in the room. How he had missed Voldemort, with his pale white scaly skin, ruby red eyes, chiseled cheeks, a perfectly straight greek nose, and wavy black hair. 

Wait…

Nose? Hair?

Harry did a double take and his eyes were huge as he found himself staring at a very different Voldemort to the one he’d seen before summer. The man was still snake like, but the nose and hair resembled the youthful version that Harry had seen in the Diary. 

“The disgusting wolves chased this cute little snakey past the wards.” Bellatrix cooed again and she reached out to pet at Harry’s hair. 

Harry proceeded to hiss angrily and snap his fangs at her, which only made the insane woman giggle and pull her hand away and out of his reach. 

_ “Call me cute one more time and I’ll rip out your tongue!”  _ Harry spat out a few curse words in parseltongue as well before he remembered there was another person in the room that understood what he was saying. His head turned sharply and his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment when he found Voldemort smirking at him. 

Even though Voldemort was smirking, there was a wariness in his red eyes that Harry was able to see. The two of them stared at each other for several minutes before Voldemort cautiously stood up. His movements were slow and a little exaggerated and his hands were always where Harry could see them. 

“ _ What do you make of this, Nagini?”  _ Voldemort’s words jolted Harry from his staring and he glanced down at the writhing dark green snake that had been curled up around the dark wizard’s throne. He watched as the long snake slipped away from the throne to move across the marble floor towards Harry. 

As she got closer, her tongue constantly flicked out to taste the air around him. “ _ A Blessed one, very young, a hatchling!”  _

“ _ I-I’m not a hatchling!”  _ Was all Harry could say as the large snake moved around him to get a closer look at his tail. He tried to turn just enough to keep an eye on her and still be able to see Voldemort out of the corner of his eye. Harry hissed when she butted against his tail before slithering right over it. 

_ “I will not harm you, Blessed one. To do so would incur the Great Mother’s wrath.”  _ Nagini hissed softly in a way Harry was pretty sure she thought would be comforting. 

If Harry hadn’t been trapped in a vision with her last winter or hadn’t seen so many other visions where she’d been viciously violent, he might have fallen for her soothing words. Instead her attempt at being nice had Harry feeling on edge. 

“ _ Leave him be Nagini.”  _ Voldemort whispered and he gestured for her to return to his side. The large snake hissed softly to herself, but she did as she was told. For a long time Voldemort stood there, a couple yards away, just staring at Harry as if he expected Harry to do or to say something. 

Maybe he was supposed to, but Harry refused to cooperate even though something in him was pushing at him to do so. It was just a feeling in his gut that he had to give the older man in front of him respect, to ask for forgiveness for invading his territory, but Harry refused to bow down to Voldemort in any sort of way. Besides, it wasn’t even his fault that he was there, it was that stupid werewolf’s fault. 

Voldemort shook his head after several long minutes of waiting. “ _ Definitely a hatchling, but an intriguing one.”  _ He moved just a bit closer to Harry, but still well out of Harry’s reach. “ _ There is something about you…” _

A scaly white hand lifted as if Voldemort wanted to touch Harry, but at more than a yard apart, his hand just hovered in the air. 

Harry felt a cold chill go down his spine and he swallowed nervously. Did Voldemort recognize him even through all of Harry’s changes? Was Harry about to be hit with the killing curse while his arms were securely tied to his sides? If he was hit with the curse, would it also kill Hassaria and Lash since they were still wrapped around him? Harry shivered and he glanced down at the greying brown scales of Hassaria’s tail and then down at Lash’s smaller body wrapped around his wrist. He would be absolutely devastated if either one of them got hurt because of a curse meant for him. 

“ _ Please,” _ Harry whispered brokenly, “ _ I don’t care what you do to me just...just let them go.”  _ He was hoping to play up on Voldemort’s fondness of snakes to hopefully get his nest mother and brother to safety. 

When Harry looked up he found Voldemort staring at him in confusion. “ _ You are another Blessed one. Our kind are too rare as it is, I would never do anything to harm you.”  _ Voldemort’s frown deepened when he heard the younger boy snort in disbelief. “ _ You have your own serpents with you, surely they have told you what we are and where we come from?”  _ He didn’t wait for Harry to answer. “ _ Our blood is blessed by a Goddess. We are of a higher standing than that of mere wizards. To waste such a gift from the gods would be to spit in their faces.”  _

Harry so desperately wanted to roll his eyes. Of course Voldemort would think they were some sort of divine race. “ _ My nest mother told me some stories.” _ He did admit after Voldemort gave him a very pointed glare. “ _ That doesn’t make us better than other living creatures.”  _

He’d been fighting the feeling since he’d first laid eyes on Voldemort on his throne, but he couldn’t anymore now that Voldemort had confirmed where Harry’s thoughts had been going; Voldemort, like himself, was a Blessed one. Not that Harry was surprised at all; it explained so much. 

“ _ Does it not?”  _ The corners of Voldemort’s mouth twitched into a very slight smirk. “ _ Our bloodlines can be traced back to the first children of a Goddess! Even so, not all of our ancestors received a naga inheritance like you and I.”  _

_ “Naga?” _

Voldemort’s semi smirk deepened and he nodded in such a way that Harry was reminded of a professor speaking to a pupil. “ _ It is the human name of our race. Naga were originally wide spread throughout the world, but when humans began hunting naga tribes in great numbers, nagas retreated to the Asian countries where they were worshiped.” _

_ “Right. Of course.” _ Never in his life did Harry ever think that Voldemort would give him a lecture about the history of snake people. 

Voldemort’s smirk turned downward and he frowned at Harry’s obvious disrespect. In his younger years he’d travelled extensively. After his inheritance he’d even found several hidden naga tribes in order to learn more about what and who he was. He knew that the younger boy’s instincts should have been pushing him to be at least a little respectful while in the presence of an older Blessed one. He could feel his own instincts pushing at him to acknowledge the boy and take him under his wing. And yet the boy was just on the edge of being disrespectful. 

Perhaps Voldemort had harmed the boy’s family at one point? It would explain why the boy was being cold towards him. Grudges and feuds were definitely able to create strong enough emotions to push aside instincts. 

“ _ If we’re both naga, then why don’t you have a tail?”  _ Since he was currently not being killed by Voldemort, Harry figured he might be able to get some information out of him. Hassaria had never been able to explain to him how to look more human, or if it was even possible. Even though Voldemort still had scales and red eyes, he at least still had legs. 

That smirk returned and Voldemort almost seemed to puff up in pride. “ _ All naga have 2 to 3 forms. A human form, a half form, and a snake form. Those that have mastered their three forms are able to change their bodies however they want.”  _ He gestured at Harry’s tail. “ _ Our half forms are our default forms. I prefer legs so I stop my transformation between my human and half form.”  _ He snickered at Harry’s obvious annoyance and impatience. “ _ It takes some longer than others to master their forms. I was lucky enough to have an ancient magical serpent and access to Slytherin’s secret library to guide me through controlling my forms.”  _

Which Harry obviously did not have. He’d just been lucky to have found Hassaria the day his uncle had abandoned him in the forest. 

“M-my Lord?”

During the entire conversation, in which Harry was still amazed he hadn’t been killed or tortured, both he and Voldemort seemed to have forgotten about the others in the room. Bellatrix had stuffed her fingers into her mouth to keep her insane giggles quiet. The voice that had spoken was well behind Voldemort and near the throne. 

Harry sucked in the hiss he had wanted to let out when his eyes settled on Lucius Malfoy with his long pale blond hair. The man had done many things in the last few years to get Harry to hate him. Even though the man was trying to stand tall, he was leaning heavily on his walking stick and his skin was gaunt and pale. Harry was pretty sure that Malfoy senior had been captured during the Department of Ministry debacle and had been thrown into Azkaban. Sometime during the summer either Voldemort had broken Lucius out of the wizarding jail or Malfoy had bought his way out. Either way the man definitely did not look well.

Standing just behind and to the side of Lucius Malfoy was Draco. When Harry’s eyes slid over the younger Malfoy he saw recognition there. Draco knew who Harry was, despite his changed appearance, and he was just as pale as his father. He was swallowing nervously and staring at Harry as if he were a ghost. 

The color in Harry’s face drained and he silently prayed that Draco would continue to stay quiet. There was a possibility, as slim as it was, that Voldemort would just let him go before figuring out who Harry was. 

“What issss it Luciussss?” Voldemort spun around angrily and he fixed his fierce rage filled red eyes on the Malfoy senior. “You dare interrupt me?”

Harry hoped beyond hope that he didn’t lisp like Voldemort when he spoke english. 

Lucius physically swallowed nervously, but he kept his back straight and his voice steady. “I apologize, my Lord, I meant no disrespect!” He said quickly. “But this boy, he somehow got past the wards and charms surrounding the forest. Only those that have pledged their loyalty or you have marked can get past those wards-”

Voldemort hissed and in an instant his wand was out and Lucius was on the ground trying and failing to swallow his screams as Voldemort cast the cruciatus at him. 

“I know of the wardssss Luciussss.” Voldemort spat out angrily. “Do you think me a fool? Do you think I would not know how the boy got passssst them?” He lifted his wand tip away from Lucius ending the curse. The man was panting weakly on the ground. “Do get up Luciussss. You embarrassss yourssssself.” 

Malfoy senior groaned softly, but he forced his shaking arms underneath him to push himself off of the ground. Once more he was leaning heavily on his cane, but he was standing just as he had been ordered to do. 

“To ansssswer your quessstion Luciussss, the boy got passt the wardsss becausssse he isssss a dark creature.” Even as he said it though, Voldemort felt as if that answer wasn’t quite the full truth. Yes he had adjusted the wards to let in dark creatures, specifically serpents, but it should have stopped any unknown serpent creatures. The changes had been made to allow Nagini freedom of movement through the forest and beyond if she wished it. 

The bound boy should not have been able to enter the forest surrounding Malfoy manor. 

Voldemort’s gaze slipped past Lucius to the man’s son. The Malfoy scion was staring in fear at the young naga and it was irritating Voldemort. He didn’t want anyone to be so fixated on the younger naga and his instincts were pushing for Voldemort to eliminate the potential danger to the emerald scaled naga. He frowned at that. It was more than just his instincts pushing at Voldemort to protect the boy, it was his magic as well. 

Slowly, Voldemort turned his attention back on the dark haired boy. Now that he was aware of what his magic was doing, he could feel it actively pulling him towards the boy. The pull was much stronger than what would be between an older naga and a younger. He could feel his magic trying to tell himself something; something vitally important. 

“ _ Who are you, young one?”  _ Voldemort hissed softly. He stepped lightly and slowly up to Harry, his eyes never leaving the emerald green gaze of the younger naga. Those green eyes tugged at Voldemort’s memories, but he couldn’t quite place them. He knew of no one with such intense green eyes that practically glowed with power. The only person that came close was…

Voldemort reared back suddenly and his red eyes widened. He knew of only one person with such green eyes, but it was impossible! 

“Leave usss! NOW!” Voldemort shouted at his three followers, spinning around and pointing his wand at the three humans in the room to hasten their departure. Lucius quickly dragged his son out of the room without any extra incentive, but Bellatrix lingered at the doorway. She whimpered ever so softly and stared at Harry as if he were some toy being taken away, before she was pulled out by Lucius. 

With a flick of his wand and a series of silent spells, Voldemort slammed the door shut behind them and then threw up several privacy and silencing charms around the room. When that was done he turned his attention back to Harry. 

He reached out with gracefully thin fingers to push the hair from the boy’s forehead. Voldemort hissed in shock and quickly pulled his hand away, letting those long black locks fall back into the boy’s face. 

“ _ Harry Potter!”  _

Voldemort didn’t know if he should be angry at having the prophecy child before him, shocked that the boy was a Blessed one as well, or if he should laugh at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. 

So many puzzle pieces were falling into place in his mind! Finding out that the boy was a naga, a Blessed one, answered so many questions that had been driving Voldemort crazy the past 15 years.

_ “It makes so much sense now! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?” _ Voldemort mumbled as he began pacing in front of his once enemy. “ _ I should have known! But how? The Potters have no Serpent blood and the mother was a mudblood.” _

Up until then Harry had been silent, too nervous and afraid to speak up when he’d watched Voldemort curse Malfoy. He’d even been slowly scooting backwards towards the door to see if he could get away. Voldemort’s sudden realization of who he was had frozen Harry in fear and he’d continued to stay quiet. That changed though when he heard  _ that word. _

“ _ Don’t call her that.”  _ Harry hissed softly, anger building up in his chest. “ _ Don’t you dare call my mother that word!” _

Voldemort didn’t seem to hear Harry. He was still mumbling to himself and one hand had gone up to run through his dark brown hair. 

“ _ How could I have known? It’s a moot point now. Tests can be done later.”  _ Voldemort had stopped pacing just long enough to turn to look at Harry again. He stared at Harry as if he were some sort of gift, a secret treasure that Voldemort hadn’t ever thought to find. “ _ This changes everything.”  _

Frustrated beyond belief, Harry huffed and sat back on his tail. He was pretty sure Voldemort wasn’t going to kill him now, even though he had finally figured out who Harry was. “ _ What? What changes everything?”  _ He demanded tiredly. “ _ Not going to kill me now? You think I’m special now because I’m a snake like you?” _ Harry did his best impression of Snape’s sneer. “ _ If you think I’m going to join you, you’re in for a rude awakening.” _

The most surprising and shocking sound left Voldemort and Harry couldn’t help but gape at him. Voldemort had snorted and had started chuckling and laughing. The laughter settled quickly into little snickers. 

“ _ You being a naga does make you special, boy.”  _ Voldemort snickered one last time before shaking his head and regaining his composure. “ _ You being a naga explains why I haven’t been able to kill you.”  _

Harry scowled at Voldemort in confusion. “ _ What the hell are you talking about?” _

“ _ Language.”  _ Voldemort’s smirk slowly faded and he eyed Harry skeptically. Did the boy really not know? His ruby gaze drifted down to the snake stunned around Harry’s neck and then at the one still wrapped around the boy’s wrist. They were normal, non magical snakes. They would know the stories, but they wouldn’t understand the magical components. The snakes wouldn’t know what to tell Harry past the basics of his inheritance. 

“ _ You poor little hatchling.”  _ Nagini cooed gently, soothingly. “ _ There is so much you do not know, that you need to know.”  _

_ “What? What do I need to know?!” _ Harry demanded. After the long chase through the forest and the stress of being captured, all Harry wanted to do was find a nice warm space to curl up in and sleep. The cryptic way Nagini and Voldemort were speaking in definitely was not helping his situation nor the headache he could feel building up. 

Voldemort glanced down at Nagini as the snake looked up at him. The two communicated silently and Harry winced as he heard quiet whispering hisses in the back of his mind. Ever since the DoM, Harry had made it a point to block his mental connection to Voldemort. Being this close to the man was making it difficult to keep doing so. 

“ _ Well?” _

After several seconds of silent communication, Voldemort finally sighed and looked back to Harry. “ _ Naga are naturally aggressive predators and many have short tempers. _ ” Harry gave a look that clearly said ‘no shit’ as Voldemort started to explain. _ “Entire tribes have been known to go to war whenever one got to close to another’s territory. In an effort to protect her children, the Great Mother placed several powerful protections around those that had the potential to become naga. In essence, she made it so that her uninherited children could not be killed by magical means. She also made it so older naga,”  _ Voldemort pressed his hand against his own chest. “ _ Can not kill those that have not yet reached their majority.”  _ He pointed at Harry. 

Harry blinked and then blinked again as Voldemort’s words slowly made sense to his mind. “ _ So...so it wasn’t my mother’s sacrifice-” _

_ “Of course not.” _ Voldemort sneered as he interrupted. “ _ It may have made it impossible for me to touch you, but that mud-”  _ Voldemort cleared his throat at Harry’s sharp angry stare. “ _ That muggle-borns’ magic would not have been strong enough to keep the killing curse from killing you.”  _

“ _ Are you going to kill me now that I’m all grown up?”  _ Harry straightened up and he glared at Voldemort. “ _ You have the perfect chance now. I’m bound and unable to reach my wand.” _

Voldemort’s brows crinkled and he reared back a little. “ _ Of course not you foolish boy! I would never waste the blood of a blessed one.”  _ He huffed and flicked his wand towards the ropes binding Harry. “ _ Besides you are still a minor, a hatchling, I can smell the innocence on you.”  _

“ _ If he tries to harm you, the Great Mother will punish him.”  _ Nagini added helpfully, earning her a glare from Voldemort. 

Harry stiffly lifted his arms and shook the now cut ropes from him. He was tempted to reach into his bag to grab his wand. If the ministry came down on him for using underage magic then at least they would be able to take out Voldemort. 

He tried to force his hand into his bag, but he felt something holding him back. Harry frowned and looked down to where his hand was gripping the flap of his school bag. His fingers were twitching, the knuckles turning white, but he just couldn’t get his wand out. 

“ _ It won’t work.”  _ Voldemort said as he sighed loudly. “ _ Your instincts won’t let you attack an elder unless I threaten you.”  _ An evil smirk graced Voldemort’s lips then. “ _ And now that I know you are a naga, I will not be killing you by my hand.”  _

Something shifted in Harry’s memories and he frowned a little in concentration. “ _ Either must die at the hands of the other…” _ Harry whispered as he recalled the prophecy Dumbledore had shared with him after the DoM trap. 

Harry hated prophecies, he really did. Even when you thought they made sense, they didn’t. He and Dumbledore had both thought that the prophecy meant that Harry had to be the one to kill Voldemort and that they couldn’t both be alive at the same time. If what Voldemort said was true about the divine protections, then the prophecy probably meant something completely different. 

“ _ What did you say?” _

Harry blinked and suddenly Voldemort was only a foot away from him. “ _ Uh...the uh...the prophecy…” _

Voldemort hissed and he grabbed Harry’s shoulders. “ _ Tell it to me! The entire thing! It’s vital that you tell me the entire prophecy.”  _

Perhaps Harry was still in shock at not being dead or in pain, but he numbly nodded at Voldemort’s demand. The words of the prophecy slipped past his lips before Harry could even think of stopping himself or trying to change the words to something else. “ _ The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.” _

Silence settled between the two naga and for a long time Voldemort just stared at Harry, his hands still gripping the boy’s shoulders lightly. 

There were so many discrepancies about the prophecy and Voldemort did not like it. The boy definitely had a power that Voldemort would have never known about, the naga inheritance, and he had been born just before July had ended. His parents had defied Voldemort 3 times, once when he’d offered them a place in his inner circle and twice in battle, and he had marked Harry with that blasted scar. 

The entire part of the prophecy about dying at the hand of the other made very little sense. How could neither live while the other survives? Perhaps...perhaps Voldemort needed to take a more literal look at the prophecy.    
  
“ _ Survive...the ability to keep going despite difficult circumstances. _ _ If one is surviving, they’re not actually living a life free of hardship. One cannot truly live when they are worried about being attacked constantly.” _

Voldemort was mumbling again, but at least he had let go of Harry’s shoulders. The teenager was rather glad that the man that had been trying to kill him for over the last decade had let go of him. 

_ “But that does not explain this.”  _ Voldemort hissed in frustration. “ _ I wasn’t able to go after you for years, I was barely surviving as a wraith, but you were living a normal life.”  _

Harry snorted softly, the sound catching Voldemort’s attention. “ _ Living with the Dursley’s was not living.”  _ He explained quickly when the older man glared at him. “ _ My relatives weren’t the nicest lot.”  _ He rubbed at the back of his neck nervously, his eyes shifting to the side. Voldemort’s eyes were drilling into him making Harry wish he could sink into the floor. 

The look in Harry’s eye was one Voldemort had seen many times in his own mirror growing up. It was one that he had seen in the eyes of Snape and various other half-blood witches and wizards. 

He didn’t ask and Harry didn’t add to what he had to say about his relatives. There was no need and they both knew it. 

“ _ What about the whole dying by each other’s hands though?” _ Harry asked when Voldemort didn’t continue trying to figure out the prophecy. 

Voldemort shrugged one shoulder. “ _ Simple. Naga can only kill each other in physical ritual combat.”  _ When the boy just stared at him Voldemort sighed. “ _ It’s part of the divine protection. Naga can not kill each other using magic either. They have to enact a blood ritual and then challenge each other to a physical duel. If a naga tries to kill another using magic, the spell is repelled or negated.”  _ He rubbed at the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache. “ _ And only fully matured naga that have mastered all their forms can enact the blood ritual. So don’t even ask me about the blasted ritual.”  _

Voldemort groaned and he shook his head. “ _ If only I had gotten the full prophecy sooner! I wouldn’t have gone off to kill you and your blasted family! Dumbledore must be laughing his bloody head off at my idiocy.”  _

Suddenly Voldemort was staring at Harry again, his gaze intense and unwavering. “ _ What were you doing in the forest?”  _ He asked slowly. “ _ Dumbledore would have never allowed his golden boy to wander so far from his protection.” _

Harry found he couldn’t look away from those ruby red eyes. “ _ I-I,”  _ He swallowed and rubbed at one arm nervously. “ _ When this...thing…happened I had no idea what to do. I didn’t know who to trust.”  _

The pain he had felt when he realized his friends had all abandoned him came back and Harry winced. He rubbed at his chest weakly. “ _ I just had a feeling that Dumbledore...that he…”  _ He didn’t know why he hesitated to say what he was feeling. 

Voldemort nodded in understanding. Out of everyone in the world, Voldemort would understand the most. Dumbledore was a light wizard that was prejudiced against anything even remotely dark. “ _ Your instincts knew not to trust the old fool even before your mind did. If you had gone to Dumbledore, I have no doubt he would have tried to bind your magic and your inheritance. Such a binding would have killed you in a few years.”  _

_ “N-no! Dumbledore, he wouldn’t, he couldn’t-”  _ Even though Harry tried to deny it, he knew in his heart that Voldemort was right. Harry had no idea what a magic binding was, but if it meant taking away any perceived darkness, Harry knew Dumbledore would have done it. He could remember the fearful expression in those blue eyes when Harry had lost control in the Headmaster’s office. Harry had almost destroyed the office and Dumbledore had looked frightened at Harry’s power. 

For a long time after that Voldemort just silently watched Harry. The boy had retreated into his own mind and had stopped taking notice of what Voldemort was doing. 

He was silent for so long, that the stunners on both of the non magical snakes wore off. Voldemort watched as first the younger snake woke up grumbling at Harry’s wrist and then the older snake shifted her coils around Harry’s neck and shoulders. 

The old brown adder was the first to speak once they two snakes were awake. “ _ Oh! How fortuitous, my Hassis! You have found another Blessed one!”  _

_ “Hassaria!”  _ Harry gasped and he shook himself free from the dark thoughts he had been dragged into. A brilliant smile filled Harry’s lips and cheeks and he rubbed at his nest mother’s scales in just the way she liked. “ _ You’re ok! You’re both ok!”  _ Lash, despite his grumpy grumbles, was unharmed and fully awake again. 

Hassaria huffed out a small chuckle and she rubbed her snout along Harry’s cheeks, her tongue flicking out to scent for any injuries. She could smell old fear and stress on him, but other than that she couldn’t scent any blood or damage. Once she was satisfied with her hatchling’s health, she looked back at the older Blessed one. 

“ _ Are you going to introduce us Hassis?”  _ Hassaria asked as she nudged at Harry’s cheek again. “ _ We are trespassing in his territory, it would be rude not to introduce ourselves.”  _

_ “Uh...right. Ok. Voldemort, this is my mum Hassaria. Mum, this is Voldemort...the guy I told you about.”  _ Harry rubbed at the back of his head nervously.

It took Hassaria a moment before she remembered just who her hatchling was talking about. She reared up and hissed at the older Blessed one, her fangs gleaming with her venom. “ _ You are the one that tried to kill my hatchling! Oath breaker! Blood traitor! If you try to harm my hatchling again I will call for the Great Mother’s vengeance!”  _

Hassaria continued to hiss threatening, even lunging now and then towards Voldemort to warn him away from her hatchling. She would never allow the older Blessed near her Hassis! Never again would she let him hurt her darling hatchling.

Voldemort lifted his hands in a show of submission and peace. “ _ Whatever hatreds I held for your hatchling in the past are gone. I swear on the Great Mother and the divine blood we share that I will never intentionally harm young Harry Potter for the rest of his life.”  _

There was a flash of light and Harry watched as Voldemort’s legs shifted and changed into a long, matte, pure white tail that was easily twice as long as Harry’s emerald green tail. Ribbons of gold danced in the air twining around Voldemort for several minutes before fading away. Once the gold ribbons were gone, Voldemort’s tail shifted back to his legs.

“ _ What-”  _ Harry shook his head in confusion. “ _ What just happened?” _

It was Lash, the young grass snake, that spoke up. “ _ Even I know what that was!”  _ He snickered happily at Harry. “ _ That was a magic oath. If he breaks that oath he loses his magic and the Great Mother will enact her vengeance.”  _

“ _ I told you, Harry,”  _ Voldemort spoke softly as he lowered his hands to his sides. “ _ Now that I know what you are, I will not harm you. You are too important to me now. I will be protecting you from now on.”  _ He stepped up to Harry and gently clasped the boy’s shoulders just past Hassaria’s body. Perhaps the boy was in shock because Harry didn’t even try to get away from Voldemort as the older man gently turned Harry towards the door leading out of the ballroom.

“ _ Now, let us go find you a guest room to rest in. Judging by the dirt on your skin and scales I imagine you haven’t had a decent bath in some time.”  _

_ “B-but I still have questions!”  _ Harry was still so very confused over everything that he had just learned. The whole ritual duel thing and not being able to kill each other was still confusing and Harry wanted a few clarifications about it. 

He also wanted to know what Voldemort had planned for him now that the psychotic dark wizard didn’t seem interested in killing him.

_ “I’m sure you do,”  _ Voldemort said with a soft chuckle. “ _ And I will give you all the answers I can, but only after you clean yourself and rest. Perhaps I will have Lady Malfoy find you some clothes as well. Although, hm,”  _ Harry felt like covering himself when those red eyes looked over him. “ _ A meal would probably be a good idea as well.” _

At a loss for words, Harry could only nod numbly. He turned and followed after Voldemort as the man dropped the privacy wards and opened the doors out of the ballroom. “ _ Oh and Harry? I assume you know not to tell anyone who you are.”  _

“ _ Y-yeah.” _

  
“ _ Good.” _ Voldemort smirked at Harry’s dumbfounded expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is chapter 7! Not quite the dramatic meeting you were all expecting, BUT you get an explanation for a couple things! How many of you were betting Hassaria was going to bite Voldemort? I was tempted. I was soooo tempted to do that. 
> 
> Chapter 8 will be posted Monday the 29th of June (PST). IF (and it's a big if) I get an extra chapter written by Friday I might post another extra chapter. I'm not optimistic, but if I don't get the chapter done by friday there will be a high chance of another double update next week. 
> 
> See you guys monday! And remember, Comments feed the inspiration beast!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fact that he wasn't dead while in the presence of the Dark Lord left Harry feeling decidedly unbalanced. Not only had Voldemort told him that he was no longer interested in Harry's death, but he had also said that he was placing Harry under his protection. So here was, in Malfoy manor, surrounded by Death Eaters, on neutral ground with Voldemort, and still alive. 
> 
> Why was it that everything always seemed to happen to Harry all at once in rapid succession? First he was chased out of his home and then less than 24 hours later he was chased by werewolves into Voldemort's base of operations only to have his entire world turned upside down by the very man that had been trying to kill him for years. Any 16 year old boy would be decidedly exhausted and confused, let alone Harry Potter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a heads up, at the time of me posting this chapter, SSST has gotten 133 comment threads! I know it says that there are 282, but that's because I like replying to as many of the comments that I can.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 8

The Malfoys and Bellatrix were waiting just outside of the ballroom that Voldemort was using as his throne room. All three bowed low in respect to Voldemort and, because he was following the older naga so closely, they ended up bowing to Harry as well. 

Bellatrix looked absolutely ecstatic over the fact that Harry was still alive. She even tried to summon ropes again to tie around Harry, but a scathing glare from Voldemort and a short lived cruciatus had Bellatrix behaving. 

“Young Hassis is to be treated as an honored guest during his stay here. Anyone that harms him will be subjected to a painful death.” Voldemort didn’t bother letting his lisp slip out to intimidate the three humans. Bellatrix would never fear him, Lucius was firmly at Voldemort’s side, and the young Malfoy Heir was already terrified of Voldemort. 

“Of course my Lord.” Lucius bowed again, but kept his words decidedly neutral. 

“He will be given rooms close to my own. Have your wife find suitable clothing for Hassis and have a light meal sent up to Hassis seeing as how Greyback delayed his morning meal.”

“As you command my Lord.” After being given a silent dismissal, Lucius turned and strode away from his Lord, leaning heavily on his walking stick as he did so. 

Draco hesitated to leave. After being sent out of the room, he had been able to recollect and center himself. Just about anyone would have lost their composure after suddenly seeing Harry Potter with a snake tail being brought into the Dark Lord’s throne room; and yet it seemed like he was the only person to have recognized Potter. 

True his school boy rival looked vastly differently, but those green eyes were just too unique. 

He had to wonder why no one else seemed to have recognized Potter. 

“Draco…”

Draco looked up and away from Potter sharply to find the Dark Lord glaring at him. Those red eyes were promising pain beyond Draco’s imagination and he swallowed nervously. 

“Y-yes my Lord?” Draco was able to force out when his aunt pinched at his side. 

Voldemort frowned as he considered the Malfoy Heir before him. The boy had been staring at Harry before in the throne room, and he had gone back to staring as soon as they had exited the room. Such attention on the young naga was unwelcome in Voldemort’s opinion. Just as he had in the throne room, Voldemort found he did not at all like the young Malfoy paying such close attention to Harry. 

“Have you completed the plans for your task?” When the boy shook his head weakly, Voldemort hissed at him. “Then go with your aunt to discuss what you must do. To fail your first mission would displeasssse me greatly.” 

If at all possible, Draco’s skin paled beyond it’s normal fair complexion. His aunt didn’t seem to want to leave, but an order from her Lord was something that she would never disobey. So the two left, leaving Voldemort and Harry alone with the various serpents. 

“ _ He recognizes me.” _ Harry whispered, unsure on how he felt about it. If Voldemort were still out to kill him, such knowledge would worry Harry. Since that wasn’t the case he had no idea what to feel. 

“ _ Hm.”  _ Voldemort would need to speak with Draco privately about certain expectations then. Until then he suspected the boy would keep his mouth shut. “ _ Come along Harry.” _

After a second of hesitation, Harry followed after Voldemort who was leading him towards a rather grand looking staircase. 

“ _ Um...how am I supposed to go up that?” _ Harry asked as he scratched at his head. “ _ I don’t have legs.” _

Voldemort rolled his red eyes and huffed. “ _ Not having legs is not an excuse. Watch Nagini.”  _

With a glare and a huff, Harry crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t using the fact that he currently didn’t have legs as an excuse, it was just the truth. He had a tail instead of legs and he had no idea how to go up stairs without legs. 

And yet Nagini, the giant serpent, seemed to be able to go up the stairs without any real issue. 

When Harry tried though he found himself clinging to the bannister to help pull him up each step. 

Watching the painfully slow progress had Voldemort frowning in annoyance. “ _ Have you not tried to shift your tail to legs yet?” _ he asked once they were halfway up the staircase. The younger naga was huffing tiredly, making his already pronounced ribs stick out at his sides. It worried Voldemort that the boy was so very skinny. In fact the boy was short for his age and his tail looked thinner than it should at 16. 

After his own childhood, it didn’t take Voldemort much thought to consider the fact that Harry Potter had most likely been starved most of his life. He would need to do some research to see if the nutrition potions Severus could brew would be safe for nagas

With that in mind Voldemort figured he would need to call on one of his followers that were healers to have the boy looked over. 

“ _ I did try.” _ Harry growled softly as he sent a glare towards Voldemort. “ _ Everytime I tried though it felt like something was stopping me.”  _

In the last month Harry had tried everything he could think of to try and get his legs back. Hassaria and Lash had been of zero help, seeing as how they were non magical snakes, and none of his books had been able to help him. Harry had tried to do what Sirius had talked about when telling him about being an animagus, but other than a tingling along his tail he hadn’t felt anything. He’d even tried using his occlumency meditation to try and get his body to do as he wanted. 

Nothing had worked. Every time he had thought he’d gotten close, he felt like his magic had slammed into some sort of wall and he’d ended up passed out for a few seconds. 

“ _ I will work with you on mastering your forms. If you cannot learn from me, I will send for another naga from the continent to come and teach you.”  _ Voldemort would have to notify the naga community anyway about Harry’s inheritance. Hopefully he would be able to hold off for a couple weeks to give Harry some time to adjust to his new living conditions.

The naga population was small enough that the various tribes that still existed were constantly on the lookout for newly inherited naga young. The tribes were protective of their young, and as soon as it got out that there was a newly inherited naga in Britain they would probably send someone to find out if it was true. 

Whoever came would probably want to take Harry back to the tribes. Just the thought of anyone taking Harry from him had Voldemort strangely angry. His magic rebelled at the idea of anyone taking Harry away. 

He was going to need to figure out why his magic was reacting so strongly to the boy. 

It wasn’t just that they would want to take Harry because he was young, but because of their low numbers. It was a well known fact among the naga that when two naga had children, their children were almost always naga. With how few naga there were, a newly inherited naga meant new blood for family lines. Newly inherited naga were always stronger magically and such strength was prized amongst the pureblood naga lines.

Harry would be coveted amongst the clans. The addition of his blood into the old bloodlines would mean more power to that family. 

Yes, Voldemort had no doubt that the tribes would want to take him away. Considering the fact that he himself had been offered copious amounts of marriage proposals in his youth after revealing his inheritance to the naga tribes...Voldemort scowled mentally.

_ “How long will it take?” _ Voldemort was pulled from his thoughts when the young naga spoke. “ _ You know, for me to have legs again?” _

It was an easy question for Voldemort to answer. “ _ I do not know. It only took me a few days, but I had a centuries old magical basilisk to assist me. I also had the added incentive of being at Hogwarts at the time of my inheritance.”  _ Voldemort mentally shuddered at the very idea of anyone finding out what he was while he’d been stuck at school. 

He’d been immensely grateful that his birthday had fallen during the winter holidays and that only one person had noticed his missing presence for the week he’d been down in the chamber learning how to control his new attributes. 

“ _ So I should be able to walk normally again in a few days!”  _ As much as Harry actually enjoyed having a tail, he had missed having legs in the last month. 

“ _ Perhaps.”  _ Voldemort conceded. “ _ There are other factors involved, but we will not know until we begin your training.”  _

Finally, they made it up the stairs and Voldemort was leading the way down an elaborately designed hallway. 

“ _ Does everything have to be so...so…” _ Harry floundered as he pointed at an exquisitely designed vase that was nearly as tall as Harry when he wasn’t trying to stand up tall using his tail. 

“ _ Decadent? Exorbitant?”  _

_ “Expensive.” _

Voldemort smirked slightly. “ _ This is the Malfoy manor. Being the sophisticated pure-blood family that they are, anything less than ‘expensive’ would be seen as shameful.”  _ he quirked a brow at Harry who seemed flustered at the lavish display of riches around them. “ _ Surely you have noticed how young Draco seems to always have the best of everything?” _

“ _ He’s a spoiled brat.”  _ Harry mumbled as a response. 

Having grown up with nothing, Voldemort thought he knew how Harry must be feeling. When he’d first gone to Hogwarts, Voldemort had been annoyed by the pure blood society in Slytherin. Their flagrant displays of wealth had always felt like a slap in the face for him until he’d gained enough power within his house to earn him the respect of his peers. 

“ _ It just seems like a waste. How much did that one vase cost? I bet that much money could have fed a small family for a year if not more.”  _

Seeing the annoyance in the young naga’s eyes and hearing his words had Voldemort considering the young naga a little closer. He already suspected the boy had been starved growing up, but he also knew the Potter fortune wasn’t exactly small. The boy had enough money that he should have been able to feed himself easily.

Then again...what did Voldemort know of Harry Potter? He could remember the boy wearing rather simple school robes in his first year. Even on the weekends when students were allowed to wear whatever they wanted, Harry still chose to wear his school robes. Even at the DoM the boy had been wearing his school robes. Now that he thought back to that debacle, he could remember that Harry’s robes had seemed a little threadbare. 

It would make sense if the boy lived with only a little money that he would be upset over the extravagant displays of wealth in the Malfoy manor.

_ “It is the way of the world.”  _ Voldemort stated slowly. “ _ The rich display their wealth and seem to care little about helping society. However,”  _ He made sure to stop Harry so the boy was paying attention. “ _ What you see and what the truth can be are two different things. What you see in this manor has been around for generations. The Malfoy’s have donated countless thousands to various charities to help better our society. Do not be so quick to judge a person by what you see.” _

It was a lesson that Voldemort had learned quickly while in the Slytherin house. He’d met several pure blood children that had looked to be rich, but in actuality had been barely middle class. Their families had simply owned quite a few priceless family relics that had been on display. 

“ _ Draco is still a spoiled brat though.” _

“ _ That he is. Now,”  _ They stopped outside a dark oak door with a gold handle. “ _ This will be your room while you stay here. My personal rooms are right across from yours.”  _ Voldemort pointed at a rather normal looking door across the hall.  _ “I request that you do not disturb me at night unless you absolutely have to.” _

Voldemort was expecting Harry to go into his own room as quickly as possible, but instead the boy just watched him with a perplexed expression. 

“ _ What?”  _

The sharp single word snapped Harry out of his staring. “ _ I...I guess I’m just confused.”  _ He admitted sheepishly. “ _ I know we’re both naga and that we can’t kill each other because of some old blood magic stuff, but...why are you being so...nice?” _ It was the easiest way Harry could word things. “ _ You could put me in a dungeon or servant quarters. You even told your followers that I was a guest.” _

Of course the boy was confused. Voldemort had gone from wanting to kill the brat to inviting the brat to stay with him all in one day. 

“ _ If it makes things easier, consider this my way of keeping my eye on you.”  _ Voldemort told Harry. “ _ This way I can ensure you don’t get into trouble and disrupt my plans. Go and get cleaned up. Knowing Narcissa as well as I do, she will be by soon with a selection of clothes for your wardrobe.” _

Harry was given no choice in the matter as Voldemort literally pushed him into the room and closed the door behind him once his tail was clear. 

For a few minutes Harry just stood there, staring mutely at the door. He didn’t even seem to notice the room he’d been pushed into at first; he was just too dumbfounded by the fact that Voldemort of all people had shoved him. 

“ _ You need to get cleaned up hatchling.” _ It wasn’t until that moment that Harry realized that Nagini had slipped into the room with them. “ _ Your scales are so covered with dirt their vibrant green is barely visible.”  _

_ “You’re really big!”  _

Harry could have groaned at Lash’s sudden exclamation. Out of all the things Lash could have said, he had chosen that! 

“ _ You are such a disrespectful hatchling!”  _ Hassaria hissed from Harry’s shoulders. She then turned towards Nagini and bowed her head respectfully. “ _ Forgive Lash, magical one. He is young and you are the first magical one he has met.”  _

As Harry watched, Nagini went over to a very fuzzy looking carpet in front of a very large fireplace that was lit. “ _ I have met many hatchlings in my long life, have no worries.”  _ She proceeded to coil up on the carpet and make herself comfortable. “ _ He will learn in time, as all hatchlings do.”  _ She swung her tail tip around to point at a door on the other side of the room. “ _ No more delays, my master told you to get clean now you must do so.”  _

Harry huffed in annoyance at the subtle scolding. “ _ Fine. Fine. I’m going.” _ Before he stormed to the door, both Hassaria and Lash requested he let them join Nagini in front of the fire. Once they were settled, Harry made his way over to the bathroom door, grumbling the entire way.

The door was wrenched open and Harry froze in shock at what he found. He had been expecting a simple bathroom with maybe a claw-foot tub and a huge vanity. Instead he found himself staring at a bathroom that easily dwarfed the Dursley’s living room. The usual toilet was off to one side, with a stained glass divider giving the space the semblance of privacy, a large sink with an equally large vanity ran along one wall. There was even a stool situated in front of a mirror with several tilted panels.

When Harry ran his fingers along the counter, he found that the surface was a solid piece of smooth cool marble. The marble was a beautiful snow white with silver veins running through it like spiderwebs. When the light hit the surface just right, Harry could even see a few gold flecks. 

White tiles lined the walls and floor, with gold filigree work following the bottom edge of the wall. When Harry looked up he found the ceiling was actually a large mirror. 

“ _ That’s not disturbing at all.” _ He mumbled and a small shiver went through his shoulders. 

A large shower was just past the vanity. It was large enough that Harry would be able to put his entire tail inside it and even be able to lie down if he wanted to. There were three shower heads, one on each side of the shower, and then one large one directly above the center of the shower. 

“ _ I suppose if multiple people are showering it would work.”  _

What took up the majority of the bathroom though, was the bathtub. It looked more like a pool than an actual tub and Harry could only compare it to the Prefects bath he’d briefly used in his fourth year. This one was just as big, if not a little bigger, and had just as many taps for him to use. There was already water in the tub, steam rising up off of the surface, but there had to have been some sort of enchantment as the steam didn’t fill the rest of the room. 

A shudder of excitement went through Harry and he so desperately wanted to sink into that still water to warm his chilled body. 

“ _ They never said I had to take a  _ quick _ bath.”  _ A sly grin stretched across Harry’s lips and he dropped his bag on the vanity counter before going straight for the tub. If he was going to be forced to get clean, then he was going to take his time and enjoy it!

Harry hissed in pleasure as he carefully braced himself on the edge of the tub and twisted a bit so he could slip his tail into the water first. The last time he’d gotten to take a bath had been at Hogwarts and, since he’d only had access to the shared dorm baths, he hadn’t had the time to really soak. 

The heated water was heavenly against his scales. For what felt like an eternity, Harry just rested against the submerged seat, his tail slowly stretching out under the water until it was as far as he could get it without leaving his seat. 

Even with his tail stretched out it didn’t even reach the opposite end of the tub!

He hadn’t realized just how stiff his shoulders were, or how cold he had gotten, until he was submerged up to his shoulders in the hot water. 

“ _ Forget a bed,” _ he mumbled contently. “ _ I’ll just sleep in this tub.”  _

Harry was pretty sure there was at least one species of snake that lived in water. If a normal snake could live in water, then he surely could as well! The water was just the perfect temperature for him; hot, but not so hot that he felt like he was being boiled alive.

After a while of just soaking, he knew he couldn’t stay in the bath forever. With a deep and regretful sigh, Harry brought his tail back to him so he could try and get the encrusted dirt out from his scales. 

Without even thinking about it, Harry felt around for a washcloth. As if by magic, his hand landed on the soft cloth and he was rubbing it against his tail before he realized that the washcloth had just appeared out of nowhere for him. 

He idly wondered about just how many charms and enchantments were in the bathroom for it to anticipate what he needed. 

When he thought about soap, just a plain bar of soap, one magically appeared on a little dish at the edge of the tub. 

“ _ Convenient.”  _

It really should have taken more time to clean his tail, but in no time at all the majority of the dirt had been scrubbed off of his tail and his emerald scales were glimmering once again. He’d forgotten just how shiny they were while he’d been living in the forest. 

His torso took very little time to clean as well. It was his hair that required actual effort to clean.

While living in the forest Harry had used little strips of cloth to tie back his hair. He’d done his best to keep it clean and brushed, but there was only so much he could do. With how long it had gotten, twigs and leaves always seemed to get embedded in his hair. 

Just as it was with the washcloth and soap, as soon as Harry wanted shampoo it appeared at the edge of the tub for him. It took a few rinses before his hair felt soft and clean again. 

During the entire process of getting clean, the water in the tub had stayed clear and pristine. Yet another enchantment that Harry was grateful for. He didn’t even want to imagine just how dirty the water would have been had it not been charmed to stay clean.

As much as Harry wanted to stay in the tub, he knew he had to get out eventually. He was pretty sure if he didn’t then someone would tell Voldemort and Harry would end up getting a visit from the red eyed man. 

Thinking of Voldemort had Harry frowning and staring up at the mirrored ceiling. Never in his wildest dreams would Harry have ever thought that the psychotic murderer would suddenly stop trying to kill Harry. Even with the revelation of Harry’s inheritance, he couldn’t have imagined that Voldemort would just change his mind. 

It had Harry wondering if the entire situation was nothing but an elaborate trap meant to lull him into a sense of calm. Would Voldemort whip out his wand the moment Harry was no longer on edge? 

What if Voldemort was right about the whole naga thing? Should Harry even trust him about how naga couldn’t attack each other with magic? It would explain why Harry hadn’t been able to draw his wand, but...but Harry just couldn’t bring himself to be completely sure. If that was true, then how had he and Voldemort dueled back in his fourth year? Then again...Harry had technically been human then and he had only been protecting himself. 

How was he supposed to trust the man that had spent over a decade trying to kill him? 

Even though Harry tried to think about everything logically, he could feel his instincts pushing him to trust Voldemort. 

He scowled up at the ceiling. How could he ever trust Voldemort after everything the man had put him through? 

‘Other than trying to kill me, what  _ has _ Voldemort done to me?’ Harry’s mind helpfully supplied. 

Voldemort had attacked him and his parents when Harry had been a little over a year old, and had killed his parents in that attack. But why had he attacked them? Because of that blasted prophecy that Harry hadn’t actually gotten to hear. He’d watched Dumbledore’s memory, but Harry knew memories could be falsified, faked. He also knew prophecies were notoriously unreliable. 

Which begged the question of how Voldemort had found out about the prophecy in the first place. Dumbledore had said that he had heard the prophecy while giving Trelawney a job interview while at a pub. 

Harry’s scowl deepened. Why had they even been at a pub in the first place for a  _ job interview? _ Wouldn’t it have made more sense for the interview to have been held in Dumbledore’s office at Hogwarts? 

He shook his head to dispel that train of thought. He was trying to figure out whether or not he could trust Voldemort based on what the man had done to Harry. 

Because of Voldemort Harry had ended up with his horrible muggle relatives. 

‘Although can I really blame Voldemort for that?’ Harry wondered with a frown. Sure the Dark Lord had killed Harry’s parents, but he hadn’t handed Harry over to the Dursley’s. Harry knew it had been Dumbledore’s decision to leave him there. Which brought up the memory of the end of Harry’s first year when he’d begged Dumbledore to let Harry stay at Hogwarts. 

Dumbledore had chastised Harry for making up stories about his aunt and uncle, and he had told Harry that his relatives loved him and that he needed to stay with them. Dumbledore had sent Harry out of his office after telling him that his aunt’s home was the best place for him. 

First year hadn’t been too bad, other than the time he’d had detention in the forest and that bit at the end with the philosopher’s stone. 

Voldemort had tried to kill Harry then too, but before that he had he’d offered Harry a chance to join him. 

How much of Harry’s life would have changed had he accepted Voldemort’s offer back then? 

‘He tried to kill me! He wasn’t really being honest with his offer!’ Harry’s logical side argued. It was too late for Harry to know the truth about that. 

Second year. Could Harry really blame Voldemort for everything that happened during Harry’s second year? The ghost, memory, thing in the diary hadn’t actually known who Harry was until Ginny had written about him. If the Tom Riddle in the diary had never heard about Harry, would he have tried to kill him in the Chamber of Secrets? 

Thinking about the Chamber brought up a dozen other questions for Harry; questions that Harry had wondered about years ago, but had for some reason forgotten about. Like why did the school have to wait for the school mandrakes to mature rather than order them from elsewhere. 

Surely someone in the world had fully matured mandrakes that could have been shipped to the school. 

And why hadn’t the school closed after the first couple attacks? Harry would have hated returning to the Dursley’s, but the school hadn’t exactly been safe. Why hadn’t parents demanded their children be kept safe? Hermione had theorized that nothing had been done because the pure-blood parents thought their children would be safe, but now that Harry thought about it that theory really didn’t hold up. There were plenty of pure-blood children from light families who would have cared enough to do something. 

For crying out loud the last time the attacks had happened a girl had died! So why had the school remained open? 

Why had Dumbledore not done anything to stop the attacks? He’d been around the last time the Chamber had been opened, he knew it had been Tom Riddle last time, so why hadn’t he done anything this time? 

Voldemort hadn’t even done anything to Harry during his third year. A voice in the back of Harry’s head told him that it had been Dumbledore’s fault for a lot of the problems that had happened during his third year. The man believed them about Sirius, and yet he had done nothing to help him. Instead Dumbledore had sent Harry and Hermione, with only a time turner, out to try and save Sirius. 

Harry didn’t even want to think about fourth year. He was almost completely sure Dumbledore could have done something to pull him from the tournament, seeing as how he was Harry’s headmaster. At the very least the man could have done something to  _ help _ Harry during the tournament; the other headmasters had been helping their champions! The imposter Moody had done more to help keep Harry alive than Dumbledore had!

Other than being forced into a tournament, kidnapped, and being cut open, Voldemort really hadn’t done much to Harry. If you didn’t count the whole duel and trying to kill him again.

Harry could blame all of fifth year on Voldemort though. ‘Can I though?’ the voice whispered. It reminded him of Umbridge and the torture she had put him through, all because he refused to lie about Voldemort being back and that Umbridge had been there on the orders of the minister. Dumbledore, or at least McGonagall, should have been able to do something about the woman!

It had been Dumbledore who had forced Harry into occlumency lessons with Snape, which had only made his visions of Voldemort worse. If Harry hadn’t been so tired, mentally and physically, he might not have rushed his decision making when he’d thought Sirius had been kidnapped. 

Harry rushing to the Department of Mysteries was his own fault. He should have waited until Snape had gotten in contact with someone about Sirius. Harry should have waited an extra couple minutes instead of rushing head first. 

Thinking of Sirius had Harry’s heart clenching and thudding painfully in his chest. Sirius’ death couldn’t even be blamed on Voldemort; it had been Bellatrix that had hit Sirius with the curse that had pushed Sirius through the veil. 

So other than trying to kill Harry, what exactly had Voldemort done TO Harry? What was and wasn’t Voldemort at fault for? 

The more Harry thought about it, the more he realized  _ Dumbledore _ was at the root of most of the hardships Harry had suffered through.

‘I’m thinking too much about this.’ Harry thought as he rubbed at his temples to try and stave off the headache that was starting to build up. He felt like his mind was trying to rip itself in half; half of it was defending Dumbledore while the other half was trying to demonize the man. 

With a huff of annoyance, Harry turned and pulled himself up out of the bathtub. He’d been in long enough that his skin on his fingers and hands had gotten all wrinkly. A towel materialized on the counter closest to him and he took it to wrap around his head. A second towel appeared and Harry used that to try and dry off his tail. By the time he got most of his tail dry, the towel was soaking wet. 

Thankfully a third towel appeared and he was able to use that one to dry off his torso. Other than the towel still wrapped around his head for his hair, the towels that Harry dropped vanished even before they hit the ground. 

“ _ Why can’t the magic at Hogwarts be this efficient?”  _ Harry wondered with a soft chuckle. 

Not even caring about how wet his hair still was, he flipped the towel off his head and started rubbing it against the long strands of his hair. Harry made his way out of the bathroom, wanting to get back to his mum and little brother. 

“ _ You should have taken a bath with me Lash, the water was-”  _ Harry’s words stopped and he flushed brightly as his eyes landed on the figure of an elegant woman sitting not far from the pile of snakes in front of the fire. 

Harry really didn’t know many adult women; mostly just his aunt and the teachers he’d had throughout his life. Well, there was Bellatrix, but Harry discounted her immediately. All of those women paled in comparison to the slim blue eyed woman that was staring right back at him with a small smile. 

“It is an honor to meet my Lord’s guest.” The woman brushed off her satin skirt before standing from the sofa she’d been sitting on. She clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed slightly. “I am Lady Malfoy and my Lord has requested that I assist you with finding suitable clothes for you. Once that is done my Lord wishes for me to give you a tour of my home before the evening meal.”

Harry reeled back a bit. Lady Malfoy? The woman was Draco’s mother?! She looked and sounded way too polite to be spoiled Draco’s mother! Then again...now that Harry was looking at her, he could see a few familiar features. Draco definitely had his mother’s high cheekbones and slim nose. 

“ _ Thank you for-” _

_ “You are speaking the serpent tongue, my Hassis.”  _ Hassaria’s gentle words stopped Harry and he flushed brightly. 

When was the last time he’d even attempted to speak english? When he’d been in the forest staring down the werewolves, he’d been purposefully speaking parseltongue. When talking to Voldemort he’d been using parseltongue. The only time he could remember speaking English had been at the Dursley’s or when he’d been talking to Hedwig. 

Harry cleared his throat and focused for a moment before trying to speak again. “ _ Thank you-” _

_ “Still snake speak.”  _

“Damn it!” The small gasp from Lady Malfoy and the hissing laughter from Nagini had Harry flushing brightly. He’d definitely spoken english that time. 

“S-sorry Lady Malfoy!” Harry quickly sputtered out. “English and parseltongue both sound the same to me you see and sometimes my words get mixed up between the two.” He was babbling as quickly as possible to try and cover up his blunder. “I didn’t mean to swear, honest!  _ It just gets so frustrating and I haven’t really spoken in english since my inheritance-” _

_ “You slipped again little hatchling.”  _ It was Nagini that spoke up this time instead of Hassaria. 

Instead of swearing, like he’d done before, Harry simply bit his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest sulkily. 

The entire thing had Narcissa giggling ever so softly. “It is fine Lord Hassis. I had a cousin once who could put sailors to shame. I distinctly remember quite a few of his tirades whenever he was visiting in my youth.” Her smile was sweet and gentle as she tittered softly again, one hand coming up to press her fingers against her lips. 

Harry flushed brightly and he rubbed at his still damp hair. “I’m not a Lord, just Hassis is fine.” 

It was weird hearing someone other than his mum calling him by his serpent name. He would have offered up his actual name, but Voldemort had told him to keep his identity a secret. As much as he trusted that the Dark Lord wouldn’t kill him, and by that Harry meant he didn’t trust the man as far as he could throw him, he didn’t want to push his luck and break the one rule he had been given. 

“Of course Hassis, but once we leave these rooms I must insist I address you as Lord.” Narcissa insisted delicately. “My Lord has insisted we all address you as such.”

“ _ Of course he did.” _ Harry intentionally switched over to parseltongue for that comment. He’d have to have a talk with Voldemort about it.

“Now then,” Narcissa smoothed down her skirts and motioned towards a large trunk that was sitting near the edge of the sofa. “Seeing as how this is all such short notice, I was unable to limit your selections for clothing. My Lord has said that shirts and robes would be enough, for the time being, but that later on you would be in need of trousers as well.” 

With a wave of her wand, the trunk lid popped open and several different styles of robes floated out to line up in the air before Harry. 

“Unfortunately I had to select things from my son’s older wardrobe, but once I have your measurements and an idea as to what styles you prefer, I will go to our family’s tailor to have a proper wardrobe made for you.” 

More and more clothes floated out of the trunk and Harry swallowed nervously. He’d grown up with nothing but his shabby second hand clothes and his school robes that he felt distinctly uncomfortable over the idea of wearing such finery. 

Harry did have to wonder what Draco would think to see his school nemesis wearing his clothes. Would the Malfoy heir be angry over the fact that he had to  _ share?  _ Or would he sneer and tease Harry about needing to borrow clothes? 

“Hassis? Do you see anything to your liking?”

He’d zoned out while watching the clothes parade past him one by one. “O-oh um…” Harry hadn’t realized he was supposed to be actively participating in the whole debacle. 

The clothes were all nice to look at, and Harry was sure they were all made out of comfortable material, but they were all so...so  _ Draco _ . Harry couldn’t see himself wearing anything. 

“I’m not sure how well a robe would work with my tail.” Harry said as he chewed on his bottom lip. It was an honest observation, but he was also trying to find a way to get out of wearing such nice robes. His dress robes had been bad enough back in fourth year, and that was when he had legs! These robes looked just as bad if not worse. “Maybe just some shirts?”

Narcissa nodded and flicked her wand. The robes quickly floated up against the wall and out of the way of the shirts. Most were button up dress shirts, but there were a few casual long and short sleeve shirts that Harry could pull over his head. Most had collars as well, which Harry wasn’t sure if he would like or not. 

“I apologize for seeming rude, but how sensitive are your scales, Hassis?” Narcissa asked as she observed the uncomfortable naga. “You have quite a few scales on your front, and your spine is completely covered with small green scales. If you wear something that is uncomfortable for any length of time it could irritate the skin around your scales.”

Harry hadn’t thought of that! He’d only worn a shirt now and then while in the forest, but only at night when he got a little chilled. He’d never stopped to think about if he’d been uncomfortable or not. 

“I, uh, I’m not sure.” He admitted sheepishly. He watched as Narcissa pursed her lips and quickly waved her wand at the shirts. Several moved back while a few of the silkier and softer looking shirts moved forward. 

“I’d recommend these shirts for the time being. My son’s skin has always been on the more sensitive side, and for him these fabrics work best.” 

For the last several minutes Narcissa had been observing the young naga. Her Lord hadn’t said as much, but she knew he would be asking her for her observations and opinions once they were alone. She’d noticed how uncomfortable the boy was with the more elaborate robes as well as the fancier shirts. His eyes were always shifting back towards the clothes with simpler designs and cuts. Even though she thought the young man would look lovely in the flashier styled shirts and robes, she only brought forward the simpler designs when she made her suggestion. 

She watched as the boy reached out to gently run his fingers over one shirt. Silk had always been Draco’s preferred fabric, so most of his wardrobe was done in expensive and smooth silk. 

“May I take your measurements?” She held up a fabric measuring tape so Harry could see it. 

Harry’s head snapped around and he looked at the unrolled measuring tape that Narcissa was holding. He had zoned out again as he had admired the smooth and soft texture of the silk shirt. 

“Oh, sure.” He pulled his hand away from the shirt and awkwardly rubbed at his arm. Was he supposed to hold his arms out and hold still for Lady Malfoy? Or would this be like the time at Madam Malkin’s and the tape would do all the work for him? He was already feeling awkward enough as it was without having to stand around to let Draco’s mum measure him for clothes.

Thankfully the tape wiggled into life when Narcissa tapped it with her wand. It floated to Harry and quickly started wrapping around various parts of his body. 

Narcissa tittered again when Harry hissed lightly at the measuring tape when it wrapped a little too low on his hips. She waved her wand and the tape returned to her along with a small slip of paper that had appeared when the tape finished. 

“That should be enough for now. I have a general idea as to what fashions would look good on you without being too uncomfortable. Until we know for sure whether or not your scales are sensitive, I’ll stick to the fabrics that work best for sensitive skin.” Narcissa said as she pocketed the slip of paper. “Do you have any color preferences?”

Still a bit flustered and flushed from the tape measure, Harry could only shrug. “I like darker reds and greens. Greys are nice too.” Not that he’d ever gotten to wear much with color. He’d only ever gotten his cousin’s worn out white shirts and faded jeans. His school robes had always been black so the only color he ever got to wear really was the Gryffindor red tie or the sweaters that Mrs. Weasley would make for him. 

“I’ll be sure to select colors that will compliment your tan complexion and lovely green scales.” Narcissa assured him with a gentle smile. 

The young naga smiled shyly back and nodded his thanks. “With that out of the way,” Narcissa flicked her wand and several of the shirts and a couple of the plainer robes floated into an open wardrobe on the far wall. “My Lord requested that I give you a tour of my home. He also stated that you hadn’t eaten yet today so I thought you would enjoy having brunch in the gardens.” 

One of the shirts, a very light blue long sleeve button up, floated to Harry and into his waiting hands. 

“It would probably be best if you wore something. From what little I know about nagas, clothes are usually optional, but there are quite a few people here that may feel offended if you went around shirtless.” Narcissa smiled in apology. 

“That’s fine!” Harry assured her as he quickly slipped his arms through the sleeves and began buttoning the shirt up. “I usually wear clothes! It’s just the last couple months have been really weird.” He marveled at how comfortable the shirt was and how soft the fabric was against his skin. 

The shirt was a bit big on Harry’s thin frame and it hung low past his hips, but a quick swish of Narcissa’s wand had the shirt shrinking a little so it didn’t look so baggy on the poor boy. 

If Narcissa hadn’t been told otherwise by her Lord, she would have assumed the young naga to be in his early teens and not 16. 

She was also rather disturbed by how unnaturally thin the boy was. She’d tried not to gawk when she’d first seen him coming out of the bathroom, but seeing his ribs and collar bone sticking out had put her a bit on edge. She was sure her Lord had noticed, but Narcissa would make sure to inform him how she feared the boy might be dreadfully underweight and under nourished. 

“The color suits you.” Narcissa smiled as the boy fidgeted with the shirt for a moment. Even after shrinking it the shirt still hung a little off of the poor boy’s shoulders. “Shall we attend brunch?”

“Sure, let me just get my mum and brother.”

All throughout the whole wardrobe selection, the snakes had all been gossiping and snickering at the fireplace; Harry had been choosing to ignore them. 

“ _ Do not worry so about us.”  _ Nagini informed Harry when the green scaled naga turned towards them. “ _ We will remain here while you go and look around.” _

_ “We’ll be fine Hassis. Blessed Nagini insists you will be safe from harm here.”  _ Hassaria assured her blessed hatchling. “ _ You go on your little look around.” _

_ “Nagini says she’s going to show us the best hiding places!”  _ Lash piped up helpfully. 

Harry chewed on his lip for a moment before nodding. “ _ If you’re sure…” _

Hassaria nodded her head deeply. “ _ If anything happens, just bite someone and come back here. Blessed Nagini says her master has placed protections on your room so only a select few can get in.”  _

Harry’s eyes narrowed at that. He was grateful for the added protection, but he felt like he should be upset that it had been done without his knowledge. Even though it wasn’t his house and he was only a guest, he still had the right to know when something magic was going to be done around him. For all he knew Voldemort could have put up some weird spying spells or something!

“Is everything alright Hassis?” 

He was pulled back to reality when he heard Narcissa’s gentle voice next to him. She was frowning a bit and she was watching him carefully. 

“Y-yeah. They’re staying here.” He waved a hand at the snakes. “So...brunch in the garden?” Harry quickly said, trying to get Narcissa to stop looking at him all worried like. 

Narcissa nodded and she smoothly walked over to the door and opened it. “We’ll be going to the family garden for brunch. There are privacy wards there that only allow in those related to the Malfoy’s and their guests.” 

Which meant Harry wouldn’t have to worry about random Death Eaters stopping by to gawk; like Bellatrix. 

“Lead the way Lady Malfoy.” He would have offered his arm, something he was sure posh people were supposed to do for ladies, but Harry doubted he would be able to slither around comfortably with someone attached to his arm. 

Narcissa giggled softly and did as she was asked, leading Harry out of his guest room and down the hallway. “If anyone bothers you, Lord Hassis, feel free to inform myself or my husband.”

It was subtle, but Harry caught the fact that she hadn’t included Lord Voldemort in that list. He had to wonder if that was because she was trying to protect someone from Voldemort’s temper. 

It was something to think about later. For now he focused on memorizing the route that Lady Malfoy was taking him through so he’d be able to get back to his room quickly if need be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week will be another double update week! So the next update will be on Wednesday the 1st of July. Then the next guaranteed update will be Monday the 6th of July. 
> 
> So I'm still thinking about writing those snippets, but I'm still a bit on the fence. I think they would be fun to do, but I've been trying to focus on SSST. If I do write snippets, I will post them, but I've decided that if I don't really feel inspired to do so I won't force myself to write little snippets. We'll see, since I have a few ideas for snippets that would be fun to write and not impact the plot. 
> 
> I have a tumblr where I post regular updates and anything I find interesting/cute. As well as pictures of my cats. come find me: ethrildragon


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Harry first woke up, he had never expected to find himself in front of Voldemort and still be alive. But alive he was and he had been given a room all to himself, clean clothes that actually fit, and now he was being given plenty of food and even explanations from Narcissa Malfoy. It really was a confusing day, but what else could Harry do but listen to what Narcissa had to say? At least the food was good.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 9

Brunch was surprisingly tasty for Harry. He’d been worried about the food, what with his new raw meat diet, but Voldemort must have said something because almost everything that was on the table for him suited his new diet. 

Either that or Narcissa knew quite a bit about naga’s and what they needed to eat. 

Still, it was nice to see a very rare steak alongside the bowls of freshly cut fruit, hard boiled eggs, and slices of fish. There were even a few muffins and french toast on the table that Harry was hoping he could actually eat, but were probably for Narcissa. 

What Harry really loved about brunch was how quiet it was. The garden was spacious, but there were high shrubbery walls surrounding the paved space. The gazebo they were seated under was surrounded by carefully manicured flower beds with blue roses Harry had never seen before. He could hear birds singing elsewhere, but other than that he couldn’t make out any other sounds. 

He and Narcissa ate quietly together, the Lady Malfoy making a small comment now and then and offering him more servings of fruit whenever he ate his last piece, but the entire meal was peaceful. 

Harry was even able to get a couple bites of french toast down before his stomach started acting up. 

“Would you like a tour of my home now Hassis?” Narcissa asked once Harry was truly done eating and had pushed his plate away. 

“If it’s too much trouble you don’t have to.” Harry quickly assured Narcissa. “Can I be honest about something?”

Narcissa blinked in surprise at the question. “Of course Hassis, I would be disappointed if you felt you couldn’t be honest with me.” She was, after all, trying to be a good hostess to the guest of her Lord. It was obvious Lord Voldemort felt the green scaled naga was important, and anyone important to Lord Voldemort had to be important to his followers. 

With how disappointed her Lord was with her family, specifically her husband, Narcissa had to make sure she provided such an important guest with everything he needed. If that meant being a confidant and friend to the young man sitting across from her, she would be just that. 

Harry fidgeted for a moment before sighing. “All this...expensive stuff,” He waved back towards the manor, “is really weird for me. I kinda didn’t grow up with much so all of this is...well it’s…”

Such a statement should have surprised Narcissa, but after seeing how thin the poor boy was she had suspected he was poor. It had to be that or else his half starved state painted a much darker picture. 

Being a pureblood meant Narcissa had grown up believing in certain ideals. One of those ideals was that children, magical children specifically, were to be cherished. Just the thought of such a magically blessed child like the one across from her being abused had her veins going cold. 

“It makes you uncomfortable.” Narcissa said soothingly while the boy struggled to find the right words. “It’s overwhelming having your life change so suddenly and drastically. I wish I could say I understand what it is like for you in this situation, but I do not. I do know what it feels like to have your world shaken and the carpet pulled out from under your feet.” She looked away from Harry as she thought back to a heartbreaking time with the family healer. “You feel like everything is happening too fast, like all your feelings and emotions are too strong for you to handle.” 

Harry quickly nodded along with what Narcissa was saying. “Yeah. It’s a huge change and I’m still processing everything that’s happened.”

“You’re still in shock.” She carefully glanced over Harry’s tail where it wasn’t curled around his seat. “Forgive me for asking such a personal question, and you do not have to answer should you feel uncomfortable, but are you a naga because of a creature inheritance?”

He really should have known that someone as intelligent as Lady Malfoy would figure out he wasn’t a natural born naga. Knowing that he was a terrible liar, Harry could only nod and look down at his lap where he rubbed his fingers against his green scales. 

“It is nothing to be ashamed of Hassis!” Narcissa quickly assured the poor boy. “A creature inheritance is a blessing! It means you are stronger magically than most other wizards. Pureblood families always celebrate when a creature inheritance pops up.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Harry grumbled. He sank down in his seat. “Easy to celebrate if you don’t turn into a dark creature.” His words were softly spoken and he really hadn’t meant to say them outloud, but Narcissa had heard them all the same. 

“Nagas are only considered dark here in Britain.” She delicately sniffed in distaste over that little fact. “In most other countries they are listed as grey beings, neither light nor dark.” The fact was that the naga race was listed as endangered and protected by the ICW. “Many creatures that are listed as dark here in Britain are actually more grey aligned.” 

The look of confusion on Harry’s face had Narcissa sighing sadly. She sipped her tea for a moment before setting the cup down. 

“If most creatures are grey,” Harry began to ask after a moment of silence from Narcissa. “Then why label them as dark?”

Narcissa considered her words carefully, figuring that the poor boy was probably from a light family or was muggle raised. “Sadly, it has to do with muggle-born witches and wizards.” There was no real way to sugar coat things. “Most muggle raised magicals do not trust what they cannot explain or control. It is why so many of the old ways have been made illegal and why there are so many restrictions on non humans.”

She had to stop for a moment when she was scowled at by the teenager across from her. “I am not speaking from the pureblood standpoint. I am simply stating the facts.” Narcissa held up a hand to stop Harry from arguing. “Most of our most restrictive laws were passed by muggle-born supporters with the intentions of making the transition from the muggle world to the magical a little more comfortable.”

She could understand this mindset, to a point, but it was still upsetting. “Many muggle-borns come from families or backgrounds that believe magic to be the work of, oh, what is the creature called? The horned being that fell from grace?”

“The devil?”

“Yes! That creature.” Narcissa exclaimed, happy that the naga boy understood what she had failed to remember. “Where was I? Oh, yes, most muggle-borns come from backgrounds that believe magic to be from the devil, thus evil. Before the statute of secrecy, many muggle-borns were killed by their own families when they displayed magic, many by way of religious exorcisms. As time moved on and magic was hidden from muggles, we found ways to protect muggle-born children from their families that would do them harm.”

Harry scoffed at that. If that were true his aunt and uncle wouldn’t have abused him as heavily as they had. Narcissa noticed his reaction to her statement and filed it away to mention to her Lord later.

“There are a few that sadly slip through the cracks. Still, the security measures put in place by the ICW have kept most muggle raised witches and wizards relatively safe.” There would always be a few that were harmed by their families before someone from the ministry or ICW could get to them; such was life. 

“Those security measures do not keep children from learning from their parents. So, many muggle-born and muggle raised children come into the magical world believing magic to be dark and evil.” Narcissa sighed sadly. “Thus the attempt to make the transition for them more comfortable. The dark arts were banned or highly restricted in places like Britain and many of the old holidays and beliefs were made illegal. Dark creatures were outlawed and in many places they were either hunted down or banished. Even creatures that weren’t dark were restricted by new laws. All in the effort to make muggle-born witches and wizards more comfortable so that they would stay in the magical world and not return to the muggle.”

She sneered angrily for a moment before getting herself back under control so that her expression would become calm once again. “Where was I going with this?” She wondered aloud once she had calmed down. “Ah. Yes. Why the naga race was deemed dark by the British ministry.”

Seeing that Harry was still paying close attention to her and didn’t seem too upset by her speech, Narcissa continued. 

“Before the ICW got involved with the classification of creatures, the British ministry labeled the Naga as dark. At the time the ministry was rushing through the process and they typically just marked creatures as dark or light based on what the muggle-borns were comfortable with.” She huffed angrily. “Snakes, according to that muggle book, are corrupters and supporters of the devil. So the ministry labeled the naga race, and anything related to serpents, as dark.”

“They hunted them down...didn’t they?” Harry asked softly as he recalled something his mum had told him early on during the summer. 

Narcissa nodded sadly. “Many races were hunted down before the ICW could step in. Many countries around the world were doing similar things as Britain in the effort to meet with the new Statute of Secrecy. At the time the ICW was stretched dreadfully thin.” She winced a bit. “Countries with a strong ministry or government system were low on the priority list for the ICW. Britain was overlooked. When the ICW finally realized what the ministry had done...by then it was too late.”

Hassaria had told Harry about how the ‘blessed ones’ had all been killed or chased out of Britain generations ago. That had to be what Narcissa was talking about. 

“The ICW fixed what they could, rescinded the ‘kill on sight’ orders, changed the laws just enough so that dark creatures wouldn’t be outright murdered, but the damage had been done.” Narcissa looked at one of the blue roses sadly, her eyes glossed over slightly in thought. “Almost a million creatures and beings around the world had been murdered. Thousands more had fled their home countries. Many dark witches and wizards were incarcerated or publicly executed. Those that agreed to ‘give up their dark ways’ were allowed to live, but under strict observation and house arrest.”

The Black family had been one of those families that had been watched. Many of the lesser Black branches had been wiped out before the ICW had finally stepped in. 

“How could-” Harry’s voice cracked and he had to swallow down some water before he could attempt to speak again. “How could they get away with that? Killing all those people?”

“Because of fear.” Narcissa said simply. “They feared what the muggles would do so much that they did whatever they could to keep the muggle-borns from returning to the muggle world. It was so bad that if a muggle-born pointed at a pureblood a certain way, that pureblood would find themselves at the end of an executioners wand.”

Harry was at a loss. The entire story seemed too far fetched to be real! But he knew just how strong a motivator fear could be. And hadn’t his mum already told him about how the naga had been chased out of Britain generations ago? It just seemed so surreal to think that so many people and creatures had died because of  _ fear _ . 

“Once the ICW stepped in things got better. Pureblood and half-blood families took back control of the governments around the world. Places like magical America decided to completely separate themselves from their muggle counterparts; including taking muggle-born children from their families the moment magic was detected. Entire island nations set up complex wards to keep outside muggles from finding them and the muggles living there from leaving. Britain found a middle ground, but continued to heavily regulate all things ‘dark’.” 

“What did the ICW do though? When they got involved?” Harry asked softly, almost afraid of what the answer would be.

For a long time Narcissa was silent before she sighed and shook her head. “They made executions illegal unless used for murderers. They placed many creature and being races that had been hunted to near extinction onto a protected list. Any laws that restrict dark creatures and beings have to go through them first before being allowed to be implemented.” It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep the mass murders from happening again. 

“It’s not enough though. At least not here.” Harry wasn’t an idiot, he could read between the lines and he could see how upset Narcissa was even though she tried to hide it. 

Narcissa smirked slightly and she shook her head sadly. “It is why the Dark Lord fights. He wants to repeal the restrictions on dark magic and creatures, bring back the old ways, and bring about a true separation between the muggle world and our world. Similar to what America has done.”

Silence stretched between the two for some time, Narcissa giving Harry time to process everything she had told him. She knew he would have questions, so she simply sipped at her tea and waited. 

“Why kill muggles and muggle-borns though?” Harry asked slowly. “Why all the raids? Wouldn’t that just make the ministry want to add more laws and restrictions?”

Narcissa thought over the question before replying. She glanced around for a moment as if to assure herself they were still alone. “The Dark Lord...before the raids and killing started, he had tried to go about things legally. He gained allies and support in the wizengamot, he openly communicated with the ICW, all in the effort of making changes peacefully. It took decades of work, but he did not stop.” 

“But the raids-” 

“You have to understand Hassis, that even with all the support and allies, the Dark Lord was being blocked by a powerful enemy at every turn. Even the benevolent laws that the Dark Lord wanted to pass, such as the ones to create orphanages for magical children and place stronger protections for children, were blocked. It was a frustrating time for the dark faction. We had the money, the support, even the ICW behind us, and yet we could do nothing to change things.” Narcissa set her cup down a little harder than she planned and her tea sloshed over the cup lip. “Tempers were heated, patience was lost, even the gentlest of the dark supporters were reaching their limits.”

“Who-” Harry was fairly sure he didn’t even have to ask the question. He only knew of one person that had the kind of power to block any sort of change in the ministry. 

“Dumbledore.” Narcissa sneered and this time she didn’t even try to stop. “He always acted like he was apologetic for stopping the dark faction, he even argued  _ for _ creature rights, but he never actually did anything! If anything he just got in the way of any real change.” She remembered what it was like back then, listening to her mother cry and her father rage whenever a new law or repeal was denied, she remembered when a cousin went missing, never to be heard from again after a creature inheritance at school. 

“Near the end of the first war the Dark Lord was doing what he could to prove how dangerous muggles were. He thought, we all thought, if we could just prove how important full separation was then we would finally be able to make some sort of progress!” Narcissa couldn’t stop thinking about her long lost cousin and how devastated her family had been when his name had suddenly been marked with the symbol for death on the family tapestries. “Something had to be done!” 

Narcissa leaned back in her seat and forced herself to take several long deep breaths to calm herself down. She always got so heated when she was reminded of her dear cousin. “By the end, the Dark Lord had been driven into madness and desperation. He was even willing to murder a child if it meant weakening the lights hold on Britain.” 

There was remorse in Narcissa’s eyes and Harry could see it. He could see how upset she was over the fact that Voldemort had tried to kill a child. “Harry Potter.” He whispered his own name slowly and softly

Narcissa nodded slowly, tiredly. She felt drained after the long and emotional discussion with Harry. “When the Dark Lord fell...everyone lost hope. Those of us that could hide, did so. Those that had been publicly supportive of the Dark Lord allowed themselves to be caught to give the rest of us the chance to protect ourselves.”

Her own sister had purposefully gotten herself caught. Bellatrix had pretended to be insane so that her story of using the imperius curse on Lucius would be more believable. All so Narcissa could protect her newborn son and husband. 

“We haven’t been idle. Those that escaped capture have been working their way up into the upper ranks of the ministry and other organizations. We’ve been doing what we can to cast doubt upon Dumbledore and to keep any more restrictive laws from being passed.” For a moment a flash of insanity filled Narcissa’s smile and gaze before it was gone. “Things will be different this time.”

Harry swallowed thickly. “W-why tell me all this?” He whispered in confusion. “The first stuff about nagas I get, but everything with Voldemort? About what you’re doing now?”

Narcissa tilted her head and her eyes narrowed a bit as she stared at Harry. Under her blue gaze he fidgeted and shifted around in his seat. After a while she sighed and nodded a little. 

“I tell you all this because you have the right to know. You are a guest of my Lord, but you obviously do not understand what is happening in our world. You came into a creature inheritance that would make you dark in the eyes of most wizarding Britain, and yet you don’t understand or know what the dark faction stands for.” Narcissa glanced at her tea and what was left of their brunch before waving her wand to vanish everything. “That leads me to believe you were either muggle raised or are from a light family.

You deserve to know all the facts and not just bits and pieces the light faction chooses to tell you. Even though the ICW has listed the naga race as protected, the British ministry might still kill you on sight should they deem you a danger. Whether or not you chose to side with the dark faction, you have the right to know why there are those out there that would hunt you down, imprison you, restrict you, and possibly kill you.”

Harry swallowed thickly and his gaze dropped to his lap. This was the first time an adult had ever bluntly laid out the facts for him. He was grateful for that, but it also hurt to realize that the dark side was more forthcoming with information than the light side. He’d been kept in the dark for so long that he couldn’t even properly process all of the information he’d been given. 

For a long time Narcissa and Harry sat together in the gazebo, Narcissa silently letting Harry go through everything he had been told without any distractions. When he finally did look up from his lap, she was relieved to see acceptance, and sadness in his eyes. 

“It is a difficult truth to swallow, but it is one you needed to know.” Narcissa smoothed down her skirts before standing up. She held out a hand to help Harry out of his seat as well. “Better to hear it from someone like me than from someone that would lose their temper.”

‘Like Voldemort or Bellatrix.’ Harry thought with a small snort. 

As if knowing what Harry was thinking, Narcissa cracked a smile and tilted her head in silent agreement. “Perhaps a tour of my home would be a little much today. Would you like to return to your rooms to rest and relax?” 

“Maybe,” Harry licked his lips and considered the offer. “Maybe a small tour? Just so I don’t get too lost.” As much as he wanted to rush back to his room, he knew he needed to know at least a little bit of the manor’s layout. 

Narcissa’s small smile grew and she nodded. “The family dining room, kitchen, and library should be enough then. Tomorrow I’ll show you the sunroom, main parlor, game room, dueling hall, and pool.” 

“Pool?” Harry asked a little warily. He wasn’t that interested in swimming, not after everything that had happened during his fourth year, but he knew he probably should learn how to properly swim with his new tail.

A soft giggle was her only response and Harry groaned inwardly. He just knew he was going to end up having a swimming lesson or two in the coming days. 

The tour was fairly quick, as quick as walking around a large manor was, but Harry was pretty sure he'd be able to find his way at least to the family dining room from his bedroom.

He'd been surprised to learn that the rooms he'd been given were in fact his own personal rooms. They weren't guest rooms as he'd first thought. The moment he had opened the door and had gone inside, shoved inside, the wards of the bedroom had adjusted so that they would respond to only him. If he wanted to be left alone, the rooms would lock and only Voldemort and Lord Malfoy would be able to unlock the door. 

Even if he left, the rooms would still be his for any future visits. 

“Why though?” Harry asked Narcissa softly after she had explained. “I'm not going to be here forever, so why give me permanent rooms?” 

Narcissa smiled gently and she reached out to gently touch the boy's shoulder. “You are important to our Lord. Even if you do not stay forever, as you say, you will always be important to the Dark Lord.” 

It still didn't make any sense to Harry. What did it matter if he was important to one person? 

“What if I leave and never come back?”

“Then your rooms will be locked until you formally relinquish them, or pass away.” 

After being shown the important rooms, the ones that Harry would need to get to on his own on a regular basis, Narcissa escorted him back to his bedroom. 

“I'll leave you for now Hassis. If you are in need of anything, please call upon Tippsy. She is our Lord's personal house elf and he insists that you use her as well.” 

Harry held back a flinch and nodded as a sudden thought occurred to him.

A house elf! All this time he could have been calling upon Dobby while stuck in the forest! He could have asked Dobby to find books relating to creature inheritances or he could have gotten Dobby to apparate him to the coast. Instead he had completely forgotten about Dobby and the house elf's favor. 

Then again...Dobby was working at Hogwarts now which meant he might be loyal to the headmaster. Harry couldn't risk any sort of information getting back to the Headmaster at this point. 

Harry shivered a little as he wondered what the Headmaster would even do if the man knew Harry was currently a guest of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Would the headmaster accuse Harry of becoming a traitor and turning dark? Would he look at Harry with that disappointed stare he'd used after Sirius had died? 

What would Ron and Hermoine think? Even though he had chosen to give up that friendship, it still hurt to think that the two people he had been so close to were no longer going to be in his life. 

Harry had been standing in the hall outside his door thinking for so long that Narcissa had already left. He'd been by himself for several long minutes just staring at the wood of his door. 

With a sigh, Harry grabbed the doorknob intending on going inside to maybe get a nap before dinner. Just as the door was pushed open, a pair of hands shoved him through. Harry squealed in surprise and tumbled onto the carpet of his room, his tail quickly curling around him to defend himself. The door closed swiftly behind him, but he could sense that the person that had pushed him inside had joined him. 

Angry hisses left his lips as he sat up and spun around to face his attacker. The hisses died on his lips when his eyes landed on a rather pale Draco Malfoy. 

Perhaps it was luck that none of the snakes were in the room when Harry had returned, for if they had been he was sure they would have attacked Draco for his rather abrupt attack. 

“ _ Malfoy.” _ Harry hissed as he quickly slithered back a few feet to get as much distance between himself and his school foe. 

“I don't know what you're saying Potter.” The blond stated with a deep frown. “What the bloody hell happened to you? How did- no, WHY are you here?” 

The questions were practically yelled at Harry one right after the other, not even giving the dark haired teen a chance to answer. 

“Maybe if you weren't shoving me through doors and yelling in my face I would be able to tell you.” Harry said switching back to english even if his words had a bit more of a hiss to them. 

Draco crossed his arms over his chest and one brow arched up as if to tell Harry to ‘continue’ with the explanation. 

“I don’t know why I should tell you anything anyway! You’ll probably use it against me.” Not that there was much Harry could tell Draco. Draco already knew Harry had become a naga, anyone with eyes could see it. Harry was already in the manor so it wasn’t like the blond could take the info back to Voldemort. Even if Malfoy tried he’d only get into trouble seeing as how Voldemort already knew who Harry was. 

Still, Harry’s words made Draco’s eyes narrow. Harry gleefully interrupted whatever it was his rival was about to say when the blond opened his mouth to retort. 

“Voldemort already knows who I am so you can’t use that as a threat.”

Draco’s mouth slammed shut with a satisfying click sound at Harry’s words. For several long minutes after that he just silently stared at Harry. 

The silence got to Harry after awhile though and he ended up huffing in annoyance and slithering over to the closest sofa. “I get the feeling you’re not going anywhere until you get your answers.” Harry pulled his tail up onto the sofa and made himself comfortable by taking up the entire cushioned area. “Sit and stop looking like a petrified idiot.” Draco still wasn’t moving which irked Harry to no end. “Or would you rather I go get Voldemort so  _ he _ can explain things to you?”

That little threat got Draco moving. One moment he was rigidly standing next to the door and the next he was settling himself into a high back chair across from the sofa Harry was stretched out on. 

A part of Harry had been hoping Draco would just up and leave, so he kind of floundered for a moment as to what to say or do next. Instead of actually speaking, Harry ended up fidgeting and readjusting his tail a few times. 

While he waited for Draco to say or do something, Harry took a closer look at his rival. The teenager was pale, even more so than he normally was at school, and there were dark bags under his eyes. His normally well kept appearance was ruined by the wrinkles in his shirt and pants. Normally the young Malfoy heir kept his robes buttoned shut, but his current dark robe was unbuttoned and hanging loosely over him. 

Living with a Dark Lord down the hall must really be draining on one’s health, Harry figured. 

Whatever shock Draco had been in before, he seemed to snap out of it after a few minutes of sitting and staring at Harry. The blond sucked in a deep lungful of air and then let it out with a shuddering breath. 

“Ok.” Draco whispered more to himself than to Harry. He’d been on a bit of an adrenaline rush when he’d pushed Harry into the room only for it to crash when shock set in over Potter’s words. The shock was fading and he was finally starting to think straight again. “Ok.”

Draco took another deep breath and sat up a little straighter, putting on his Malfoy pureblood mask. He crossed one leg over his other knee and settled his hands in his lap. “Perhaps I was a bit too forward and rushed moments ago.”

Harry snorted which earned him a rather sharp glare from the blond. 

“You must admit that my sudden questions and such are valid. You would be asking questions as well if I had suddenly appeared in your home as a dark creature.” 

“I suppose.” Harry admitted slowly. He couldn’t even imagine Draco showing up at the Dursley’s as a naga or anything else. Just the thought of it had him snorting softly and trying to hide his snickering behind a hand. 

“Oh do try to have some comportment.” Draco sneered again before he sighed and tried to calm himself. It wouldn’t do for him to lose his temper and antagonize Potter. The Dark Lord had already said that the younger naga was an honored guest and was to be treated with respect. If Voldemort actually knew who Harry really was then that meant...well Draco hadn’t quite figured out what it meant. He just knew that if he upset Potter then the Dark Lord would probably punish Draco severely. 

The two fell into silence again with Draco staring at Harry and Harry fiddling with the hem of his shirt. 

“Honestly.” Draco huffed and frowned at the other teen. “Are you going to answer my questions or not?”

“What?” Harry blinked in surprise and he had to think for a moment. “Oh. Right.” He rubbed at the back of his head as he tried to recall what Draco had asked. “What were the questions again?”

“Unbelievable!” Draco threw up his hands and tilted his eyes up to stare at the ceiling. “I want an explanation as to what happened to you and why you’re here in my home!” 

“Right.” Harry bit his lip a bit. “Well…as you can see I’m a naga.”

“No. Really? I thought you were a unicorn.” Draco said with absolutely zero sarcasm or inflection in his voice. Even his face had a rather bland expression as he stared at Harry. 

“Shut up.” Harry wished he had something he could throw at the prat across from him. “I got a creature inheritance, dumbass.” 

“Obviously. That’s not what I meant Potter.” Draco sighed and wearily rubbed at his eyes. “I meant what happened to you that brought you here. Surely after your inheritance happened you got in touch with your friends.” 

Of course, out of all the things Malfoy could ask, he had to ask THAT. Harry turned away from Malfoy to stare at the fireplace. He didn’t want to talk about his old friends, or Dumbledore, or the Order, and how all of the people he had thought cared about him had practically abandoned him for the summer. “Next question.”

“But-”

“Next. Question.” Harry snarled at Malfoy, snapping his head around to glare at him. He could feel his fangs dropping down and his claws digging into his arms just enough to be noticeable. 

A shiver of fear actually went down Draco’s spine. For a moment the pupils of Harry’s eyes had become slits, much like those of the Dark Lord’s. 

“Fine. Why are you here in my home?” 

At least that was something Harry could answer without delving into emotions. “I’m not here on purpose. I was heading for the coast when I landed in the forest for a break last night. When I woke up, there were a bunch of werewolves and they chased me here.” It was hard to believe that he’d been chased only a few hours ago. 

“Sonova-” Harry hissed angrily as he remembered that one of the wolves still had his prized firebolt! He hissed angrily for a minute or so. He would have to ask Voldemort to get it back seeing as how Harry doubted he would be allowed off the Malfoy grounds to do it himself. 

“Potter?” 

Harry swung around to stare at Draco, only just noticing how nervous the other teen was. “Nothing. Just remembered something I need to do.” 

“Why hasn’t the Dark Lord killed you yet? You said he knows who you are?” 

“Honestly?” Harry flopped back in his seat and let his head rest on the arm of the sofa. “Voldemort said it had something to do with me being a naga. It makes me ‘special’ or some such rot.” It was only a partial truth, but something in Harry was keeping him from discussing with Malfoy what Voldemort had told him while they’d been alone. Just the thought of telling Malfoy that Voldemort was another naga, an older naga that said he was going to be protecting him from now on, had Harry’s throat closing up to choke on his words. 

“Of course.” Draco sneered angrily, but not at Harry even though it sure seemed like he was upset with the boy-who-lived. “It’s always you! You’re always so special that even the Dark Lord has to have a change of heart. Perfect savior Potter.” Those last three words were spat out angrily. 

“If I could switch places with you I would.” A weird tiredness was starting to settle around Harry and there was a strange darkness around the edges of his vision. “Hey...what are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be at school?”

The question knocked Draco out of his angry muttering and he blinked in confusion at Harry. “It’s August 27th. The train doesn’t leave for another 5 days.” 

“Oh...ok…” 

Harry stared up at the ceiling at a loss as to what to say. He’d lost track of time while living with his mum and brother in the forest. He’d thought maybe more time had passed, that summer had come and gone and that school had already started back up for the new school term. He thought that was why Dumbledore’s minions had shown up to try and capture him, because he’d been missing for so long. 

It’d taken Dumbledore and the others almost an entire month to come looking for him, and almost 2 months to even try to check in on him. They’d left him alone at the Dursley’s and hadn’t cared enough to find him until just before school started back up. 

Would they have cared more about him if he had told them about his creature inheritance? 

“So...Potter…” 

Harry must have been quiet for a long time. When he looked back at Draco the boy seemed nervous and hesitant. 

“What are you going to do now?” 

“I-” What was he going to do? Voldemort had made it seem like Harry wasn’t going to be leaving the manor any time soon. Harry had been trying to get to the mainland to try and find others like him, but he doubted that was much of an option for him now. Not unless he was able to sneak out. 

But would he even be able to get far? Voldemort knew what he was now and he probably knew some strange naga magic that would allow him to track Harry down. 

“I don’t-.” 

All the doubts that Harry had been pushing away for the last month were starting to surface again. What if he was never able to get his legs back? What if he was stuck with a tail for the rest of his life? If he couldn’t at least look fully human again then that meant he wouldn’t be able to go out into public. He had his mum and Lash now, but he didn’t want to be a complete hermit! 

What if he was able to get to a naga tribe, but they didn’t want him? The magical world barely wanted him and the muggle world pretty much despised him. His relatives had always called him a freak, the magical world either loved him or hated him, so what was to say that the other naga would be any different?

“I don’t know what to do now.” Damn it he had been happy in the forest with his mum Hassaria and his brother Lash! Why couldn’t people just leave him alone so he could be happy for once in his life? 

It felt like every time he was starting to be happy, that little bit of happiness was ripped from his arms. He’d been so excited to go to Hogwarts, only to find out that it was just as stressful as living with the Dursleys with all the life threatening events. His friends, the ones he’d come to care for and count on, had abandoned him and had tried to guilt him into feeling horrible. When he’d found out about Sirius being his godfather, he’d been so happy to have an actual family! Only now Sirius was dead and Harry had lost his chance to live with his godfather. 

Sirius…

It’d been months since he’d thought about his godfather. As if in slow motion the memories of Sirius falling through the veil at the ministry filled his mind’s eye. 

A sob caught in Harry’s throat and the pain he’d been pushing away for the last month came back ten fold. He could feel his eyes watering and his chest constricting as he fought not to cry. 

“Leave.” That one word came out as a croak from Harry as he literally curled in on himself, his tail coming around to wrap around him to hide him from Draco’s gaze. 

“I still have ques-”

“GO AWAY!” Harry’s fangs dropped down again and this time his venom dripped from them dangerously. He hissed and slashed his claws out towards Draco, even knowing that the other teen was completely out of his reach. 

Draco was up and out of his seat in less than a second. Harry heard the door open and slam shut just as equally fast. 

The moment the door was closed Harry let out the quiet sob that he’d been holding in. Another sob, louder this time, joined the first. Tears spilled from his cheeks and for the first time since his death, Harry fully and completely mourned the loss of Sirius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so far this week hasn't been good for writing for me. I'll be able to get my goal of 1 chapter minimum done, but I don't know about 2 chapters. So next week will probably end up being a single update week. 
> 
> The next update will be Monday the 6th of July. To my USA readers, have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July. Keep up the comments guys! I love answering questions and comments, especially cryptically. Makes me feel like some old sage living on a mountain top.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It hasn't even been a day and Harry's life has been turned upside down. Not only has Voldemort decided not to kill him, but the man has also told Harry that the young snake boy would be under his protection. Thanks to Narcissa, Harry has a better idea as to what the Dark Side stands for and he now knows that maybe things aren't quite what they seem with the Dark Lord. 
> 
> Even with all these changes in his life, at least Harry is sure in his knowledge that Draco is still a spoiled brat.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 10

Harry lost track of time after Draco had been scared from the room. Even though he had been depressed and emotional over Sirius’ death earlier in the summer, he hadn’t been allowed to actually mourn and cry. Now, while he was alone and not struggling to figure out how to survive, his emotions and memories caught up with him. 

Full body sobs wracked his body uncontrollably. He missed Sirius so much and he couldn’t help but blame himself for his godfather’s death. If only he’d waited for Snape to do _something_ to confirm whether or not Voldemort had Sirius. He should have gone to Grimmauld place first before rushing to the ministry; they were both in London! It wouldn’t have taken long! He could have gotten Dobby to go to Grimmauld place since Kreacher had been so useless. 

Snape was right; Harry had been a typical Gryffindor and had rushed head first into the situation instead of taking a moment to use his brains. It was his fault Sirius was dead. 

Harry’s sobbing grew in volume and he was finding it hard to breath. Sirius would still be alive if it weren’t for Harry! Could he even blame Bellatrix for Sirius’ death seeing as how the two had been dueling? She hadn’t even used the killing curse on Sirius, the spell had been red when it’d hit his godfather. 

“ _My Hassis, why do you cry?”_

He’d been so lost in his sorrow that Harry had failed to notice the return of the three serpents he’d left in his room hours ago. 

“ _I-I miss Sirius. It’s my fault he’s dead.”_ In the past month Harry had told Hassaria all about his life, and that had included his godfather and the man’s death. “ _It’s my fault my parents are dead, and Cedric, and now Sirius!”_

The people he cared about always seemed to get hurt because of him. Ron had gotten hurt their first year trying to help him protect the stone, Hermione had gotten petrified their second year because Harry hadn’t been smart enough to figure out that the diary was evil, Ron got hurt again their third year while he and Hermione had almost been made into werewolf food, Cedric died in their fourth year, and then Sirius... 

His friends had probably all abandoned him because they had figured it out. He was bad luck to be around. 

“ _It’s all my fault.”_ A strange numbness settled around Harry as he came to and accepted that revelation. “ _I’m bad luck.”_

_“No, my Hassis! Do not say such things!”_ Hassaria cried out as she wrapped herself around Harry’s shoulders to try and comfort him. 

“ _You are a blessed one hatchling, there is no way you could possibly be bad luck.”_ Nagini was draping herself along the back of the sofa, her head inches above Harry’s. “ _You are a hatchling. Hatchlings do not control fate nor do they control what adults do. Did you tell your parents to fight our Master? Did you order the rat to kill the other boy in the graveyard? Did you ask your godfather to fight with the laughing woman? No.”_

Nagini’s words should have made Harry feel better, even a little, but they didn’t seem to get through to him at all. 

“ _Are you not happy with us brother?”_ Lash had taken up his spot around Harry’s wrist once more. “ _Do you think it was bad luck to find us?”_ The little snake actually sounded wounded and hurt that his adopted brother might not be happy with them. 

“ _Th-that’s not what I meant! Of course I’m happy with you.”_

“ _Bad things happen to everyone, my Hassis. You have had it worse in your short life, yes, but that does not mean you are the cause of all the bad things.”_ Hassaria cooed as she flicked her tongue across Harry’s cheek, licking away the left over salt from his tears. 

Harry didn’t feel better, but he didn’t feel worse either. He still blamed himself for the deaths surrounding him. Perhaps...perhaps not his parents. They had been fighting in a war and as soon as they knew Voldemort had targeted their son, they had pulled out to protect him. Still, they had been at war and people died in wars. 

But Cedric and Sirius hadn’t had to die. Harry had been the one to insist that Cedric take the cup with him. Sirius had only rushed to the ministry to save Harry from his mistake. 

“ _Are you well enough to attend the evening meal?”_ Nagini asked once Harry had calmed down and the tears had stopped. “ _Our Master has requested that you do not skip any meals. You are much too skinny.”_

Harry wiped away the remaining dampness from his cheeks and glanced at the lone wall clock in his room as he did so. He’d been crying for hours!

“ _Y-yeah. I’m fine now.”_ Fine wasn’t even close to where he was at emotionally, but being numb was better than being depressed or sobbing his heart out. 

He could feel Hassaria staring at him though and he tried to smirk, even a little bit, for her. “ _Really. I’ll be fine.”_ He hated seeing his mum so worried, especially over him. 

“ _Let’s go to dinner. It’s in the dining room Narcissa showed me right?”_

Nagini nodded and dropped down to the floor from the back of the sofa. She was much too big to be riding around on such a small hatchling as Harry; besides Hassaria was already riding on his shoulders. “ _That it is hatchling.”_

With a little help from Nagini, with Lash piping up as Harry made his way through the halls, Harry was able to find his way to the dining room. 

The only hiccup he came across was getting down the stairs. Once again Harry had to literally cling to the banister and partially drag himself down each step so that he wouldn’t fall. 

Nagini snickered and teased him the entire way down. 

“ _I’d like to see you try to slither down stairs after only a month of having a tail!”_ Harry hissed at her angrily. 

“ _Just think of them as logs stacked on top of each other.”_ Hassaria hissed trying to be helpful to her dear Hassis. 

Harry huffed, but kept on steadily lowering himself down the stairs. 

Finally he made it down the steps and he was safely on a flat surface again! He was not looking forward to having to go back up the stairs after dinner, but he’d deal with that later. 

Harry hesitated outside the closed door to the dining room for a moment. When Narcissa had shown him the dining room, it had been large enough to comfortably seat over a dozen people. He had to wonder just how many people would be in there for dinner tonight. 

Would he even be able to handle eating surrounded by a dozen Death Eaters? He’d grown to like Narcissa during brunch and her short tour of the manor, so he could eat next to her no problem. What about her son? He’d yelled at Draco earlier and scared him right out of his room. Would the youngest Malfoy even attempt at having dinner with him after Harry had lost his temper. 

He still disliked Malfoy senior for what he’d done to Ginny in his second year and then because of the ministry battle. After Harry’s breakdown earlier he knew he wouldn’t be able to look at Bellatrix without losing it. 

Would...would Voldemort be there? Harry had assumed the Dark Lord would make an appearance for dinner, but it was possible that the elder naga would be too busy. 

Did Harry even want Voldemort to be there though? It hadn’t even been a full day yet since Voldemort had told Harry that he was under the Dark Lord’s protection. Harry wasn’t even sure if he had even come to terms with that change in their dynamic. 

Then again eating with Voldemort would ensure that any Death Eater in the room wouldn’t do anything. If Bellatrix even tried anything Harry was sure Voldemort would crucio her into oblivion. 

Huh...now Harry kind of hoped both of them would be there just so he could see Voldemort torturing the insane woman. 

“ _Are you alright my Hassis?”_

Hassaria’s hissed words were whispered into Harry’s ear soft enough that neither Lash nor Nagini had heard them. 

“ _If you would rather not go in then you don’t have to.”_ Hassaria added soothingly. “ _I can go hunt for you like I used to. Nagini showed me where some large birds were. I’m sure there are some rabbits nearby as well.”_

Taking one deep breath after another helped to center Harry even though the numbness he had felt, after his break down over Sirius, still lingered. 

“ _Thanks mum, but I need to do this.”_

“ _There is nothing to fear inside, hatchling. My master will protect you! He will prove to you just how strong he is and he will show you just how well he can care for you!”_ Nagini crooned as she wound herself around Harry’s tail. “ _He has many minions that will shower you with praise and admiration. He will make sure of it.”_

‘I don’t want any of that.’ Harry thought to himself, but couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. There was a small part of him that almost preened at the idea of Voldemort showing off his power. It liked the idea of Voldemort taking care of him. It whispered into his mind that a naga as powerful as Voldemort should shower Harry with gifts and affection.

Harry brutally pushed that little voice in his head away so that it couldn’t try to tell him such strange things. 

To distract himself, and to stop himself from hesitating any longer, Harry pushed the doors to the dining room open. Relief flooded his system when he found that there were only 4 people sitting at the long table; the three Malfoys and Voldemort. 

It was obvious that Lord Malfoy and Voldemort had been discussing something, but had fallen instantly silent the moment Harry had opened the dining room door. All four people had turned their eyes towards Harry and were staring at him as he stood in the doorway. 

Narcissa smiled warmly at Harry and he tried to return the gesture with a tentative smile of his own, but it came out as more of a grimace. 

Draco was eyeing him warily before glancing at his father and then the Dark Lord nervously only to look back to Harry once more. 

Lord Malfoy was attempting to be as emotionless as possible, but he inclined his head politely when Harry came in. 

It was Voldemort’s reaction that had Harry blushing. The Dark Lord was staring, practically gaping at him, his red eyes wide and his lips just barely parted in a silent gasp. His eyes trailed down Harry’s body, stopping at each shiny bright emerald green scale as if he hadn’t realized just how lovely the color really was. 

The longer Voldemort stared at him, the brighter Harry’s blush became. It almost became too much for Harry and he started to shift around nervously. 

“Thank you for joining us Hassis.” Narcissa’s gentle voice broke the tension that had been building up between Harry and Voldemort. “Your seat is to the left of-”

“Hassis will sit to my right.” Voldemort stopped Narcissa swiftly, his eyes never leaving Harry. His gaze was intense and to Harry it felt like Voldemort’s red eyes were burning into his skin. “Lucius, return to my right. Narcissa, take the seat next to your husband” 

The seat between Lucius and Voldemort, had been empty until that moment. Narcissa had been seated across from it with Voldemort to her left and her son to her right. If Harry remembered correctly from what little his Aunt had said about etiquette, that particular seat was reserved for the guest of honor. The change in seating meant Harry would be taking Narcissa’s seat to the right of Voldemort.

He had no idea what the right seat meant, but if Voldemort was suddenly changing the seating arrangement then it must have some sort of important meaning. 

Unless Voldemort no longer considered Harry a guest, but then why change the seating at the last moment? 

Nagini seemed to understand the significance in the change seeing as how she was snickering as she slithered her way down the length of the dining room and to Voldemort’s chair. She was hissing something softly to Voldemort that made him flick his fingers at her in annoyance. 

Little did Harry know that the moment Voldemort had seen Harry, the boy completely clean and devoid of the dirt that had been muddying the color of his scales, Voldemort’s instincts had shifted drastically. 

Voldemort’s instincts up until that point had only wanted to protect Harry, as far as he knew, as an elder naga would protect a younger naga. The moment he had seen just how vibrant the boy’s scales were, had picked up on his now clean and soft fragrant scent, his instincts had shifted to demand Voldemort begin a courtship with the younger naga. 

The shift in his instincts had been so quick and so drastic that Voldemort hadn’t had time to acclimate. He’d instantly changed the seating arrangement so that Harry would be to his right. While the left seat was reserved for the guest of honor, the right was meant for the spouse of the Lord. 

Not that the boy seemed to understand the significance of the change. The Malfoy’s all understood, instantly, and each of them looked to be anywhere between confused and shocked. Narcissa almost looked excited over the change in seating. 

Giving Harry the seat to his right, the one meant for the Lady of honor, settled Voldemort’s naga instincts somewhat; just enough for Voldemort to get a better handle over them at least. 

“Well Hassis?” Voldemort practically purred as he gestured for Harry to come closer. “Will you take your seat and join us for dinner? You are much too thin and I would like to make sure you are eating regularly while you are an honored guest here.” 

It was Harry’s turn for his instincts to rear up. They were preening once again at how much attention Voldemort was placing on him. His instincts seemed to really enjoy the fact that the older naga was trying to take care of him. 

His newly developing naga instincts were starting to really confuse the heck out of Harry. 

“Uh...yeah…” Harry quickly slithered over to the seat that had been magically pulled out for him. He had to use the arm rests of the chair to make himself comfortable, and once he was, the seat was magically pushed back in so that his lap was comfortably under the table. 

He tried to avoid looking to his left, where Voldemort was sitting and staring at him with those burning red eyes, but looking to his left meant looking at Draco who was very carefully keeping his eyes on his own plate. 

“Splendid! Let us begin dinner. Wobbly-” Narcissa clapped her hand and a house elf dressed in a tea towel dress and clean white apron appeared. The elf snapped its fingers before vanishing again. As soon as it was gone, the table was filled with various trays and platters of food. 

Harry could only vaguely remember the last hot meal he’d had. It had been the farewell feast at Hogwarts and even then he hadn’t eaten much seeing as how he’d been so distraught over Sirius’ death. 

There was such a wide range of food on the table that Harry didn’t quite know where to start. Seeing a rather tasty looking steak and kidney pie, Harry reached for that first. 

“Hassis.” 

A pale white hand with equally white scales covering the back of the hand reached into Harry’s line of vision to stop him from grabbing a serving of the meaty pie. Harry looked up sharply and swallowed a little nervously when he met Voldemort’s red gaze. 

Something in Harry’s stomach did a backflip and he found it hard to breath suddenly. 

“Your inheritance will have changed your dietary requirements. I’m sure you have noticed as much.” 

Voldemort was right and Harry hated it. He’d tried cooking a rabbit early on after being left in the forest and the cooked meat had made him sick. He really wanted to try the steak and kidney pie though; it just smelled so good. 

“Take it slow and try small portions first. If you start to feel ill I will have the elves bring you an appropriate meal replacement.” Voldemort let go of Harry’s hand then and eyed the boy closely. 

Again that fluttering feeling came back and it took everything in Harry not to preen and grin at the attention the older naga was giving him. His instincts were screaming something at Harry, but he just couldn’t make sense of everything. If he didn’t know any better it almost seemed like Voldemort _cared_ about Harry’s well being. 

‘And why wouldn’t he care?’ that little voice in the back of Harry’s mind whispered. ‘He is a strong naga and you are only just past your inheritance. He’s already said he would take care of you.’ 

Harry’s instincts really weren’t making much sense at all. 

Still, Harry heeded Voldemort’s warning and only served himself a small portion of the hearty pie. He also put a few of the cooked vegetables on his plate seeing as just the thought of them were making his mouth water. 

After a month of eating nothing but raw meat, nuts, and berries Harry was really looking forward to eating vegetables again. 

Perhaps he was a little too excited over the wide variety of food because in his excitement he shoved his first bite of steak and kidney pie into his mouth without even tasting it. The hearty and rich flavor burst on his tongue after a moment and Harry hummed in pleasure. The texture of the meat was perfect as he chewed on a piece of steak. He found a slice of mushroom in the small serving and speared it on his fork. 

Harry was so engrossed in enjoying his food, that he failed to see that both of the adult Malfoys were watching him. Lucius had a strange look on his face as if he were trying to solve a puzzle while Narcissa had a small smile on her lips, happy that the young man that had been brought into her home was at least content if not enjoying himself. 

Voldemort was also watching Harry closely. He watched as the small serving of pie was finished and then as the boy moved onto the vegetables. He kept an eye out for any sign of Harry starting to be sick so he was the first to notice when Harry’s fork hesitated as he brought a small cooked carrot up to his lips. 

The boy was obviously trying to put up a brave face and stuck the carrot into his mouth even though Voldemort could tell the boy was starting to feel ill. 

“Tippsy.” Voldemort called for his house elf as he waved a hand to clear Harry’s plate. The boy gasped and squeaked in annoyance, but Voldemort would not allow the young naga to make himself sick on human food when his body just wasn’t ready for it. 

The elf appeared, her head down and her knees bent in a partial curtsy. 

“What meat do you prefer, Hassis?” Voldemort asked as he held up a hand to keep the house elf from speaking. 

Truthfully Harry had started to feel nauseous as he ate, even though the food was absolutely delicious. He was sure brown sugar had been added to the vegetables while they’d been cooking and he desperately wanted to try the creamy looking potatoes and the salmon not far from him. When what little food on his plate vanished suddenly, including the small bit that had been on his fork, Harry couldn’t help but exclaim. 

He didn’t care if he was starting to feel sick, he wanted some real food damnit! 

“ _I’m fine!”_ Harry hissed out as he tried to reach for the salmon. The tray was moved away from his hand and his fingers nudged up against what felt like a little barrier. “ _Let me try some more! I’m sure it wasss just the pie!”_

_“No Hassis. Your body is still adjusting to the changes from your inheritance. Human food will only make you sick no matter what it is.”_ Voldemort said, switching into parseltongue as well. “ _Please allow me to take care of you.”_

_“But…”_ Harry eyed the salmon longingly. “ _I haven’t eaten a decent cooked meal in months.”_ His words were whispered, but he was still too numb from his break down earlier to really fight. 

Voldemort frowned deeply. The young naga’s inheritance had been almost a month ago so he should have been able to eat human meals before then. He eyed the way the shirt Harry was wearing hung on his thin frame and then at how thin his glittering green tail was. Thinking back to all his previous interactions with Harry, the boy had always been on the thin side. Originally Voldemort had thought Harry skinny this summer because of the forced diet change, but...what if it was worse than that?

“ _This change won’t be forever. Give your body a few months to finish adjusting and then we’ll try some simpler human meals.”_ Voldemort compromised gently. “ _There will always be some foods that you won’t be able to stomach, but we’ll find out as you adjust. For now let’s just focus on getting you up to a healthy weight.”_

Harry hated it. He really did. He hated that he wouldn’t be able to eat normally and he hated that Voldemort seemed to care so much about his health and what he ate. The Dark Lord shouldn’t be speaking so gently to him and shouldn’t be trying to comfort him over something as stupid as food. 

“Now. What meat do you prefer, Hassis? Or shall I ask Tippsy to bring a selection for you?” Voldemort asked as he switched back to English hoping that Harry would do the same. 

It took a few minutes of Harry silently fuming, his attempt at fighting the subtle order from Voldemort to give in and stop eating food that would make him sick. 

“Rabbit.” Harry finally croaked out. “I like rabbits, but I haven’t really gotten to try much.” He flushed as he looked up through lashes to find Voldemort staring at him again. 

Voldemort nodded and then waved at Tippsy. “Bring a plate of rabbit meat and a plate with a selection of other red meats for Hassis to try.” That way the boy would at least have a full meal of rabbit meat if he didn’t have a liking for anything else. 

“Just red meat?” Harry asked hesitantly. 

Again the Dark Lord nodded. “For now. White meat, such as poultry and swine, has a tendency to carry illness when not cooked. Naga have a hard time stomaching cooked meat as it is so it’s just safer to eat red meat for the time being.” 

During their entire interaction, the Malfoys continued to eat silently. Draco especially kept his head down and focused on his food instead of the two scaled beings to his right. After how Harry had snapped at him earlier, Draco did not want to be the cause of either naga to be angry at him. 

Soon enough the house elf returned with the requested meat and set the plates down before Harry. 

Instantly Harry’s mouth started watering. The cooked food had smelled and looked delicious, but the raw meat just triggered something in Harry’s instincts. He didn’t even bother using a fork, instead spearing one of the neatly cubed rabbit meat chunks with one of his claws. The piece of meat was past his lips and in his mouth in seconds. 

Voldemort couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his lips as the younger naga enjoyed the meat offering set before him. 

“ _Do you want some mum? Lash?”_ Harry speared another piece of rabbit meat and offered it to the resting adder on his shoulders. 

“ _We ate before returning to you my Hassis. Blessed Nagini was kind enough to show us the hunting grounds.”_ Hassaria cooed as she nudged her head against Harry’s hand to push the meat back towards him. 

“ _There are lots of frogs here!”_ Lash informed his brother happily. “ _Nagini said that the pond is magic so that there will always be frogs there.”_

_“Blessed Nagini, Lash. Address her properly.”_ Hassaria hissed at the young grass snake. 

“ _But she said I didn’t have to!”_ Lash flopped around on Harry’s wrist before slithering free to explore the table, much to Lucius Malfoy’s disgust. The man didn’t say anything, but Harry snickered at the twitch in his brow and the tightness in the man’s shoulders. 

“ _Do continue eating Harry. You are much too small for a naga your age.”_ Voldemort prodded Harry verbally when the boy had stopped eating to speak with his serpents. 

Harry scowled at Voldemort. He hated being reminded of his size. Harry knew he was on the small side, thanks to the years of malnourishment while at the Dursley’s, and he always tried to combat the lack of food every time he made it to Hogwarts for the year. Even still, he was on the small side compared to the rest of his age group. 

He stuck another cube of rabbit meat into his mouth and chewed sulkily. 

Dinner continued relatively well after that. Harry would try a cube of random meat in between his bites of rabbit meat, occasionally asking Voldemort what the new meat was. Narcissa was the one to keep up any sort of conversation as she talked about the schedule she’d come up with for Harry for the next couple days. She wanted to show Harry the rest of the manor and then the grounds before having the exclusive tailor, another follower of Voldemort’s, come to fit Harry for his own wardrobe. 

Harry was skeptical it would take 2 whole days just to finish his tour and get fitted for clothes, but Narcissa insisted that it would. She even thought that it would take an extra day. 

“And what news is there of Harry Potter?” Out of the corner of his eye, Voldemort spotted Harry choking a little on his current bite of meat. The way the youngest Malfoy paled and glanced at Harry only confirmed what the young naga had confided to Voldemort; that the boy knew just who Harry was. “Lucius?”

“For the first half of the summer the boy was hidden away from sight, as has been the typical behavior during summer.” Malfoy senior quickly stated. “Severus is still unable to speak of the boy’s location, the charm Dumbledore placed on him is still in effect, but he has been able to inform us that the boy is being watched by various Order members around the clock.” 

Harry stopped eating to stare at Malfoy. The Order had been watching him? They’d been keeping tabs on him while he’d been at the Dursleys?? It couldn’t be true, otherwise they would have done something when his uncle had beaten him nearly to death! They would have done something when he’d gone through his inheritance! Snape had to have been lying to Malfoy. 

“Indeed?” Voldemort kept his gaze on Lucius, but he was watching Harry out of the corner of his eye. The more Lucius said, the more upset the younger naga seemed to get even though the boy tried to hide it. His hands were shaking slightly where he was gripping the table and the boy had ducked his head down to hide a bit behind his long bangs. 

“According to Severus, the boy was moved from his normal residence to a safe house shortly after his 16th birthday where he is currently receiving private tutoring.”

“ _Liar!”_ Harry spat out. 

“ _Control yourself Harry. Only the youngest Malfoy knows who you are, best not to give away your secret quite yet.”_ Voldemort doubted he would keep Harry’s true identity from Lucius and Narcissa for long. He would need their assistance protecting the boy from the rest of the Death Eaters. 

As much as Voldemort was sure he would be able to keep the boy safe, he knew that several of his Death Eaters wouldn’t give up the chance to attack the young Potter boy. At least he was confident that Bellatrix would not harm the boy; if only because she was enamored with the young naga and because she would NEVER disobey her Lord. 

Pettigrew on the other hand…

“ _Why are you- Why-”_ Harry struggled to voice the question he so desperately wanted to ask. He wanted to know why Voldemort was having Malfoy report on Harry’s supposed movements while Harry himself was sitting right there at the table. 

“ _You have a right to know what has been going on.”_ Voldemort said simply. “ _Knowing what you are now, I know that everything that has happened since your 16th birthday, every sighting, has been a lie. You need to know the truth.”_

_“_ Continue Lucius.” Voldemort gestured with one hand towards the elder Malfoy when the man paused for Voldemort to speak with Harry. 

Lucius looked at the young naga warily, but he cleared his throat and continued with his report. “Sightings of Harry in Diagon Alley have continued. Several of our spies spotted the boy buying his school supplies and then eating ice cream with young Miss Weasley.” An ominous creaking sound started over by the windows. “From what was overheard, they were on a date.”

“ _I would NEVER date Ginny! I don’t even like her!”_ Harry grumbled as the numb feeling started to fade in favor of his growing anger. The fact that maybe he didn’t like girls was something he had only started to consider after what had happened between him and Cho. He had tried to like girls, Cho and Ginny especially, but the more he tried, the more he found he just wasn’t interested. 

Harry wasn’t even sure if he liked guys! Sure he thought some boys at school were nice looking, but he’d never felt the need to kiss them. 

But he definitely knew for sure that he did not have any sort of romantic feelings for girls. So the thought of dating Ginny was gross for him. 

“Lucius. Take your family and leave us.” 

During Harry’s mental tirade his magic had slowly started leaking out, building up in the room around them until it was swirling around creating a storm. His magic was sparking across his skin, but he unconsciously controlled it just enough so that it wouldn’t go near Hassaria or Lash. 

“ _Why would they do that? Make a fake me and have him go around pretending to be me?”_ Harry demanded, not even noticing when the three Malfoy’s had left. _“If they were watching me before my birthday then why didn’t they do anything to stop Vernon from beating me? Why didn’t they help me when I was starving? Why would they let Vernon cram me in the cupboard?”_

The boy’s chaotic magic was only getting stronger and more destructive as his rage built. Voldemort tried to calm the young naga, but he knew of nothing he could say that would answer his questions. 

“ _Harry-”_

_“Why didn’t they stop Vernon when he dragged me out to the middle of nowhere and abandoned me in a forest!”_ Harry screamed. His head was in his hands and his magic pounded against the windows of the dining room. The goblets on the table were pulverised into fine crystal dust and what was left of the food had been incinerated. 

Voldemort didn’t have time to pull out his wand to use magic to calm Harry. He did call for Tippsy to take the three serpents to safety out of the room. Up until then Harry’s raging magic hadn’t harmed the serpents, but Voldemort wasn’t sure how long they would be safe. He quickly shifted into his true form, his legs changing to a long white tail, in order to better access his own magical core. 

“ _Harry, you must calm yourself.”_ Voldemort tried to sound as soothing as he could as he slowly approached the boy who had jumped out of his seat to get as much distance between himself and the table. “ _I do not know why the Order did what they did, but I will find out. I swear to you.”_

The Dark Lord wasn’t even sure if Harry could even hear him anymore. The boy was mumbling to himself, in broken parseltongue. His claws were digging into his own hair and Voldemort worried the boy might actually be hurting himself without realizing it. Harry’s fangs had dropped down and venom was freely dripping down his chin. 

The first window shattered, but Voldemort stopped the glass shards from flying with a wave of his hand. His own magic reformed the window, but cracks were already appearing due to the force of Harry’s magic. 

Voldemort moved as close to Harry as he could, keeping himself where the younger naga would be able to see him should he look up, and once he was close enough he reached out and placed his hands on Harry’s shoulders. 

Enraged avada kedavra green eyes shot up and glared at Voldemort unseeing. “ _How could they all abandon me and then pretend everything was alright?”_ Tears glittered in those intense green eyes and Voldemort felt an urge to wrap the boy up in his arms to keep the rest of the world away. 

“ _Because they are weak.”_ It was a truth that Voldemort knew very well. “ _Please calm down little one. I promise that I will never abandon you and never leave you. I will do everything in my power to always protect you.”_

His words seemed to get through to Harry, but instead of calming the boy as Voldemort had hoped, they only confused the enraged young naga. 

“ _Y-you don’t care!”_ Harry hissed, his rage turning to sorrow and confusion. He tried to wrench himself away from Voldemort, but the man’s hands continued to hold onto his shoulders. “ _You’ll grow bored with me, you’ll figure out I’m bad luck just like the rest of them did. You’ll leave me just like they did.”_

It was obvious to Voldemort that Harry was too far gone in his emotional crisis to be talked down. He could see another window was about to shatter and Voldemort wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to hold back Harry’s chaotic magic. 

“ _I apologize for the intrusion.”_ Voldemort’s words were whispered into Harry’s hair, the younger naga’s head had been tucked under Voldemort’s chin as he’d pulled the boy into a tight embrace. 

“ _Wha-”_

Before Harry even had time to ask or fight back, Voldemort thrust his magic into the younger naga through their strange connection. His magic wrapped around the smaller naga’s magical core, encasing it and embracing it in order to stop the magic from causing any more chaos in the room around them. Voldemort carefully used their connection to reel Harry’s magic back into his body. He could feel Harry struggling in his hold, both physically and magically, but as Voldemort took more and more control over the wild magic the more exhaustion seemed to fill Harry. 

“ _Rest now. I will take care of you._ ” Voldemort cooed as he ran a hand through Harry’s long silky dark hair. “ _Rest.”_

Harry struggles grew weaker and weaker, his magic slowly calming and his eyes drooping shut. He tried to tell Voldemort that he wasn’t tired, but his body was sagging against Voldemort. His arms felt heavy and his tail could have been made out of lead instead of flesh and scales. He was too tired to even be upset that his mortal enemy was holding him and rocking him gently. 

Any embarrassment he would have felt fled from his mind as it finally shut down and Harry slipped into an exhausted sleep. Today really had been too much for Harry. 

Feeling that the younger naga was finally asleep in his arms, Voldemort started pulling his magic slowly away from Harry’s core. He moved slowly as he unravelled his magic, careful not to wake Harry. 

It was because of how focused he was on keeping Harry’s magic relaxed that Voldemort first noticed the darkness that was latched onto Harry’s magical core. The darkness wasn’t just latched onto the boy’s core, it seemed to have partially fused with it. It felt familiar to Voldemort and when his magic brushed against it, Voldemort felt his soul sing. 

He’d only ever felt that completeness, that contentment, whenever he held one of his-

No!

Voldemort had to physically hold himself back from reeling away from Harry, who was sound asleep in his arms. He stared down at the sleeping naga, the blissfully ignorant boy that had no idea just how special he really was. 

There were so many things about Harry that made him into an invaluable treasure, and now Voldemort had found another reason to protect the smaller naga and to keep him close. 

Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, was a horcrux. He held within him a piece of Voldemort’s very soul. 

Protective possessiveness filled Voldemort as he used his wandless magic to lift Harry up to hold him more securely against his chest. He carried the boy out of the mostly destroyed dining room and up the stairs, never once shifting back to his human form, moving by using his tail instead of legs. His naga instincts were too overwhelming to allow Voldemort to shift his physical body. 

It wasn’t until Voldemort had settled Harry into the boy’s bed, tucking him in and making sure he was still restfully sleeping, that he allowed himself to think about what he had just learned. 

He summoned a comfortable chair and set it down next to the younger naga’s bed. He would wait until Harry awoke; the two desperately needed to talk and Voldemort needed to make it very clear to the boy that Voldemort would never allow harm to befall the boy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last week was bad for me. I was able to meet my goal of finishing at least 1 chapter, but I wasn't really able to do more than that. So, sadly, this chapter today will be the only update this week. The next update will be Monday the 13th of July.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In all honesty, Harry thought he was handling the changes in his life really well, despite all the horribleness. He was still depressed about losing Sirius, and he would miss him for the rest of his life, but Harry was slowly starting to feel better. Becoming a snake hybrid called a naga definitely threw Harry for a loop, but he was adapting. Learning about what the dark side of the war wanted was enlightening to say the least. What really pissed Harry off though, was finding out that the Order had a fake him running around pretending to be him while Harry himself was stuck at the Dursley's and then abandoned in some random forest after his birthday. 
> 
> Just goes to show how screwed up the world was when the only person Harry could really trust anymore was the Dark Lord that had been trying to kill him for years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this update is a couple hours late. Had quite a few errands to run.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 11

For Harry, waking up was a very long and drawn out process. At first he didn’t even know that he was asleep, just that his body was warm, comfortable, and that he was utterly and completely relaxed for the first time in his recent memory. His mind didn’t seem to even be able to comprehend that there was nothing that he needed to do to force himself to wake up. 

He had no classes to attend, no chores to do, and definitely no life and death adventures he had to participate in.

So Harry just sighed and turned over to nuzzle into the warm and soft pillow. Not even the pillows in the Gryffindor tower were that soft and Harry just wanted to take as much time as he could to just enjoy the feeling. 

Someone was chuckling not far from him, but being mostly asleep still, Harry didn’t even take note of it for several long minutes. 

Waking up was like slowly pulling himself free from a mound of extra soft cotton. Once his mind registered that it was actually asleep, Harry started to actually wake up. The little things, like the pillow he was cuddling and the chuckling not far from him, confused his groggy mind until suddenly he realized that these things should not exist for him. 

Once his mind had caught up with his current situation, Harry was jerked suddenly from his sleep and was wide awake. 

_ “I can imagine you haven’t slept so soundly in some time.” _

The deeply hissed words meant that there could only be one person speaking to him; Voldemort. For a split second Harry’s flight or fight gut reaction kicked in and he pushed himself up and away, flailing a bit as he did so, from the man that had been trying to kill him for the past decade and a half. Then his mind caught up to him and Harry remembered most of what happened the previous day. 

Harry stopped trying to scramble to get as much distance between himself and Voldemort, his body freezing in place as he looked at the pale man with matte white scales sitting rather comfortably in a well cushioned high wingback chair. 

“ _ It really wasn’t a dream.” _ The younger naga whispered as he glanced down at the very long white tail that had replaced Voldemort’s legs. “ _ You really aren’t going to kill me anymore?” _ His words were whispered less as a question and more out of disbelief. 

Voldemort at first had felt hurt when the younger naga had instantly tried to get away, his tail getting progressively tangled up in the blankets, but he understood. He really did. Not even 24 hours had gone by since the boy had been brought before him and Harry was still adjusting to the knowledge that Voldemort was no longer interested in his death. He hoped with time that Harry would come to trust him, but he knew it would be a long and drawn out process. 

“ _ No Harry, I am not going to kill you.”  _ Voldemort whispered soothingly. He kept himself as still as possible, his hands always in Harry’s line of sight, all to reassure the younger naga that he meant no harm. 

For several long minutes Harry sat on the bed, just staring warily at Voldemort. “ _ You said-” _ Harry’s tongue darted out to wet his dry lips. “ _ You said you were going to protect me.” _

_ “Yes Harry. I am going to protect you from now on.” _ It was easier to let the boy work through what he could remember on his own; let him remember that Voldemort had meant what he had said. 

Again Harry fell silent and Voldemort just watched him with a strangely gentle expression. 

“ _ What are you doing here? I-in my room I mean.”  _ Harry’s words were stuttered and rushed as a strange feeling started filling his chest the longer Voldemort watched him. It felt like his heart was pounding in his chest and Harry could have sworn he felt his cheeks darkening with a blush. There was a strange yearning in Harry’s heart to keep the man’s gaze on him for as long as possible, which just had Harry feeling even more confused and wanting to just burrow under the blankets again.

Voldemort sighed ever so softly. He had to be careful with what he said next; the last thing he needed was to send Harry into yet another fit of accidental magic. Harry’s outburst last night had almost destroyed the dining room, and had it not been for Voldemort then Harry’s magic could have caused irreparable damage. 

“ _ I am here because we need to have a long discussion of what has happened between us in the past and how we move on from here.”  _ With that said, Voldemort motioned towards the nightstand to one side of Harry’s bed. 

The hand motion had Harry glancing to the side, spotting a single glass vial of a blueish potion. Having taken it several times over the last couple years, Harry recognized the potion as a simple calming draught. 

“ _ It might be best if you take that now. After last night, I fear you will not like what we have to talk about.”  _

Harry hesitated a moment as he looked from the potion vial to Voldemort and back. He didn’t want to take the potion, still not fully trusting the man after years of being hunted by him, but his instincts were pushing at him to listen and trust the older naga. It was like having someone else pushing at the back of Harry’s head, nudging and prodding him towards the potion. The feeling was annoying and impossible to ignore.

Before Harry reached out to take the potion a realization dawned on him and he glanced around him. “ _ Where are my mother and brother?”  _

Vague memories of the previous night were starting to flicker in Harry’s mind and he knew for a fact his magic had lashed out. He was worried for the two non magical serpents and feared that he had hurt them. 

“ _ Hassaria and Lash are out wandering with Nagini. They are both unharmed and were only willing to leave your presence when I assured them that I would remain by your side.” _

Relief filled Harry at the news that he hadn’t hurt his family. Even though he couldn’t remember everything from last night, he knew how his magic could get when he was angry. 

Harry only hesitated for another moment, the potion vial resting lightly against his bottom lip, before he tipped the vial of blue potion into his mouth. The calming draught had a slightly bitter taste, but it didn’t last for long as Voldemort swiftly handed Harry a glass of water as soon as the potion was consumed. 

What little anxiety Harry had been feeling vanished and the teenage naga let out a small sigh. He hadn’t realized just how tense he’d been until he’d taken the potion. 

Voldemort waited an extra minute before he spoke. “ _ Firstly I wish to apologize for last night. I had assumed you knew at least some of what was transpiring since your inheritance. I thought that you had run away because you knew that Dumbledore and the others-” _

_ “Used me? Abandoned me? Betrayed me?”  _ Harry cut in angrily. The anger was muted, nothing like he had felt last night, but it was still there in the back of his mind. “ _ I thought they were my friends, but they were only pretending!”  _

With his mind clear, Harry could recall everything that Malfoy senior had said. His mind couldn’t stop picturing a fake him going around  _ dating _ Ginny. He had to wonder if they actually acted like a couple; holding hands and possibly kissing. 

Even though it wasn’t him, the one dating Ginny, the mental image had Harry feeling violated. His stomach twisted and a small bout of nausea coiled in his gut before subsiding. 

“ _ Dumbledore and his followers have always been known to lie to get what they want. I have only ever lied to you once Harry. Back in your first year.”  _

Harry squinted at Voldemort, his brows coming together in confusion. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t remember the Dark Lord ever lying to him. 

Seeing that the younger naga was at a loss, Voldemort sighed and shook his head. “ _ When I was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone, I told you that if you joined me I would bring your parents back.”  _ Voldemort shook his head again. “ _ I am dark, and there are dark spells that can summon spirits that have passed on or reanimate corpses, but there is no magic powerful enough to truly bring the dead back to life.” _

“ _ Oh.” _ That’s the lie Voldemort was talking about. Honestly Harry hadn’t remembered it until that moment. He’d known back then that Voldemort had been lying, and Dumbledore had confirmed it later, but he’d not put much thought into it. He wished his parents could be around, that he could know them, but Harry had gone his entire life without them so imagining having his parents back, even for a moment, hadn’t really been all that important to him. 

“ _ If Dumbledore has been lying about what I’ve been doing this summer,”  _ Harry started to say slowly, “ _ then what else has he been lying to me about?” _

Voldemort leaned back in his seat and his tail curled a little more tightly around the legs of the chair. “ _ I do not know. It depends on what he feels is important. If he thought the truth would push you away, he would tell you a lie. Honestly, you’re the only one that could figure out just how much he’s been lying to you.”  _

It wasn’t the answer Harry wanted, but he knew Voldemort was right. Unless he confronted Dumbledore himself, with a healthy dose of veritaserum in the man’s tea, Harry doubted he would ever know the full truth. 

“ _ I will answer any of your questions as best I can. If you would feel more comfortable with me taking a truth potion I will.” _

No one had ever offered to take a truth potion for Harry and it confused him. He’d been threatened, numerous times, but no one had turned around and offered to take the potion just so he would trust them. 

“ _ I’ll keep that in mind.” _ Harry’s voice broke, but he was barely able to get the words out. If he ever doubted the Dark Lord, he would ask that veritaserum be taken. Until then, despite his logical side screaming at him, Harry decided to trust his instincts which were pushing him, in turn, to trust Voldemort. 

The two nagas were quiet for a while as both tried to come up with the words to say next. 

“ _ Do you want to ask any questions now or do you want me to continue with what I had planned to talk about?”  _ Voldemort wanted to keep Harry as calm as possible, so giving the boy control of the conversation was important. 

It took Harry a few minutes before he was able to come up with his first questions. He had dozens of questions in mind, but he didn’t want to push his luck too far with how patient Voldemort was being. 

“ _ Why are you so sane?”  _ That was not the first question Harry had been planning to ask, but the words slipped past his mental filter before he could stop them. His cheeks flushed a bright red and Harry quickly backpedaled. “ _ I mean...the last time I saw you at the ministry you were rather-” _

_ “Yes, I can see why you would ask that question.”  _ Voldemort lifted a hand to stop Harry from trying to correct himself. “ _ It’s not that I am ‘sane’, more that my new body has finished adjusting to my naga half.”  _ Honestly Voldemort had been expecting his new body to be void of his naga blood, since he’d been using Harry’s blood during the ritual. 

Now that he thought about it, the fact that his new body had gone through a second inheritance should have clued Voldemort in on the fact that Harry Potter had naga blood. The boy’s blood, plus Nagini’s venom, had made Voldemort a full naga once more. It was the only thing to make sense since Pettigrew had zero naga blood in him and the bone that had been used had been taken from Voldemort’s muggle father. 

Harry’s blood had been the key to giving Voldemort back his full strength. 

“ _ With my naga blood at full power, it was able to calm my obsessive need to eliminate you.” _

_ “Which couldn’t have happened until after my inheritance.”  _ It didn’t take a genius to see where Voldemort was going with this line of thinking. 

“ _ Precisely.”  _ At least the boy was thinking for himself without Voldemort having to tell him every little detail. “ _ Understand though that my ‘sanity’, as you call it, is limited. I am still myself, it’s just that you have been unable to witness my true personality until now.”  _

It did beg the question though, why had Voldemort been so fixated on the boy? That blasted prophecy could have meant anything, and yet Voldemort had latched onto it as if it had meant everything. If he had simply ignored it, Voldemort would have never been vanquished and his plans wouldn’t have been delayed for almost 15 years. 

Voldemort made himself a mental note to get the followers he had that were healers to test him for compulsions and any other tampering; as unlikely as he believed it would be. It was also possible that any such compulsions would have vanished thanks to both his new body and the second naga inheritance.

“ _ Why attack muggles though? If you’re normally like this, wouldn’t you see that attacking muggles would just get their attention faster?”  _ Harry practically demanded from where he was leaning against the headboard of his bed. He’d pushed himself into a comfortable sitting position after taking the calming potion. “ _ Muggles are more likely to attack if they’ve been threatened.” _

A deep and weary sigh left Voldemort and it made Harry frown. “ _ We haven’t been attacking muggles.”  _ He quickly stopped Harry from asking more questions with another lift of his hand. “ _ My followers have been targeting muggles that know of the magical world and have done harm to those with magic, ones that already know about magic and are a threat to the Statute of Secrecy.” _

_ “But,”  _ Harry chewed on his bottom lip hesitantly. “ _ But Dumbledore and the Order made it sound like entire towns were wiped out.”  _

Voldemort reached up to pinch and rub the bridge of his nose. “ _ That only happens when Dumbledore’s followers show up. My orders have always been to go in, take out the target, and get out. The idiots that show up to fight back always start slinging spells in full view of the muggles. They cast without caring who they hit so long as they are able to hit one of my followers.” _

Harry gaped at him before snapping his mouth shut with a click of his teeth. That was not how it sounded when he’d listened in on the Order meetings. It had always sounded like Voldemort had ordered a mass slaughter of a muggle town and that lives were only saved because of the Order. 

“ _ I know it’s hard to believe, especially when I have followers like Bellatrix, but we aren’t idiots Harry. We all know attacking muggles outright will only lead to the discovery of the magical world. It will only put more lives at risk.”  _

Was this something else that Dumbledore had been lying about? It didn’t make sense though; the other adults were the ones that fought against the Death Eaters, Dumbledore rarely went into the fights. The day at the ministry had been a one time thing and only because Voldemort had shown up. 

Harry doubted Dumbledore would have made it to the battle if he’d known for a certainty that Voldemort wouldn’t show up. 

_ “What about muggle-borns then?” _

“ _ It is my belief that muggle-borns need to make a choice. They either choose magic and take their place in the magical world, or they choose their muggle heritage and leave magic behind.”  _ Voldemort kept a close eye on Harry to catch all of his reactions. “ _ Many muggle-born adults leave the magical world, but they take their magic with them. They use their magic to better their lives, in many cases making themselves rich, and constantly risk exposing magic.  _

_ How is this fair to the muggles that have no idea why their businesses are being bought up suddenly or being forced to close? How is this fair to a single mother whose home was taken from her all because a muggle-born decided they wanted the property? How is this fair to the young doctor that loses his job because a muggle-born is healing patients in unexplainable ways that the doctor can’t explain to his superiors?” _

Harry had never thought of it that way. He’d only ever seen the benefit of helping muggles with magic. Sure he knew there were a lot of greedy and selfish people in the world, but Harry had always thought that most people were actually good. 

“ _ And what about the magic world? Every time magic is used in the muggle world, ministry officials have to go out and clean up the fallout. Do you know how many magical people have been rescued from muggle government facilities that were experimenting on them? Hundreds, closer to thousands if we go back far enough. Every time a rescue attempt is made, or a ministry official cleans up messes, another magical is put at risk. Traps meant to catch magical people are not as uncommon in the muggle world as you would think.” _

_ “Why aren’t we told any of this? Shouldn’t someone teach muggle raised kids at school about what happens if magic is used in the muggle world?”  _ Other than the muggle studies class, Harry couldn’t think of anyone actually teaching the muggle raised kids anything. He only knew what he did because of his pureblood friends. 

Even as he asked his question, Harry knew the answer. No one taught such things because Dumbledore wanted to be inclusive. Dumbledore wanted the magical world and the muggle world to coexist. 

Voldemort sighed softly and shook his head, his eyes downcast. “ _ There used to be a magical ethics and law class that muggle-borns and half-bloods raised in the muggle world were required to attend for their first three years. I took the advanced courses in preparation for getting a job eventually with the ministry. But that class was taken away after Dumbledore became headmaster.” _

Harry became lost in thought as he went over what Voldemort had told him. Even though the idea of a ‘magical ethics and law class’ sounded incredibly boring to Harry, he could see why it would be super important for any muggle raised student. Heck Harry didn’t even know any actual laws outside of the whole no underage magic outside of school and that breaking a magical contract meant the loss of a person’s magic. 

He was pretty sure there were a bunch of anti-werewolf laws as well, but Harry didn’t know any specifics. 

“ _ Do you have any more questions for me right now Harry?” _

Voldemort’s voice was soft, but Harry had been so distracted that he had forgotten that the man was sitting right next to his bed. Harry ended up jumping a little and his tail curling closer to his body protectively. 

“ _ Oh, um, no...not right now.”  _ He had tons of questions, but he just couldn’t bring himself to ask them. 

Tentatively, Harry looked up from where he had been staring at his lap. His green eyes followed the line of Voldemort’s long white tail. Harry hadn’t meant to stare, but he found himself blushing and unable to look away from those smooth white scales. They were so different from his own sparkling green scales. The white of Voldemort’s tail was rather matte, even in the light. It reminded Harry of a fancy chiffon shawl his aunt had owned once that Harry had sneakily touched years ago. It had felt so soft and smooth against his callused hands and Harry had to wonder what Voldemort’s scales must feel like. 

A gentle clearing of Voldemort’s throat had Harry’s eyes snapping up from the man’s white tail to meet his red gaze. Harry’s cheeks turned an even brighter red in embarrassment as he realized he had been staring rather fixedly on Voldemort’s waist where his scales transitioned into skin. He suddenly felt flustered and wanted to pull the blankets up over his head so he wouldn’t have to acknowledge the heated look Voldemort was giving him. 

“ _ There are three things I wish to discuss with you.” _ Harry’s staring had done strange things to Voldemort and he could feel his instincts purring at him to get closer to the younger naga, who was obviously showing interest in him. “ _ I doubt you will like what I have to tell you, so I’ll just start with the simplest of the three. _

_ The first thing you need to know is that there are two types of naga in the world. Child bearing naga and sires.”  _ Voldemort waited a moment to make sure the teenager wouldn’t interrupt him before continuing. “ _ Child bearing naga are more commonly known as submissives while sires are known as dominants. Understand that these titles have no pertinence to personalities or ranks in society. It’s just that the proper words do not translate well outside of parseltongue.”  _

Harry frowned deeply as he stared at Voldemort. He had a basic understanding of what ‘submissive’ and ‘dominant’ meant, but only in the vaguest of terms. 

“ _ In naga society a submissive literally just means someone that can give birth. It does not mean that the particular naga is lesser or weaker. I’ve known quite a few submissive nagas that could just as easily rip me limb from limb if they so felt like it. Dominant simply means someone who can’t give birth.” _

The older man was telling this to Harry for a reason, he just knew it, but for the life of him Harry couldn’t seem to connect the dots.

Seeing as how Harry wasn’t quite getting what he was trying to say, Voldemort continued. “ _ Besides being able to carry children, there are other differences between submissives and dominants, mostly physical. Dominants do typically end up being larger, and have longer tails, while submissives tend to have wider hips and shoulders while generally being smaller in stature. Another major indicator is scale color.” _

Voldemort pointed to his own matte white tail. “ _ Dominants tend to be neutral or bland colors, not really noticeable, while submissives…” _ He motioned towards Harry’s own vibrant green tail with its glittering scales that looked like they had been coated in diamond dust. 

He could almost see the gears turning in Harry’s mind as the boy finally worked it out without Voldemort having to outright say it. Voldemort watched as the boy looked slowly back and forth between their two tales. He chuckled ever so softly when the boy’s eyes went wide with dawning realization.

_ “I-I’m a... but that’s not possible.”  _ Harry frowned at the older naga and shook his head in denial. “ _ I can’t be a submissive. You said submissives are the ones that have the kids. Guys can’t get pregnant.” _ Sure Harry had never been given ‘the talk’, but he sure as hell knew the difference between male and female sex organs. Guys did not have the necessary equipment to get pregnant. 

“ _ This is why the sex education course should not have been removed from Hogwarts.” _ Voldemort was now rubbing at his temples. “ _ It is true that most males can not get pregnant, but a small percentage of powerful wizards can. Their magic allows them to create a temporary womb where a baby can form when they couple with a magically compatible wizard. Not to mention the various potions and spells that can potentially allow regular wizards to become pregnant.”  _

_ “That’s not possible-” _

_ “Yes Harry. It is very possible. As for Naga, male submissives can be born on occasion. It is rare, but possible.”  _ Voldemort could still see that the boy was in denial despite Voldemort’s promise to tell him nothing but the truth. “ _ Born male submissive nagas are born with a womb already. Male submissive nagas that gain an inheritance grow a womb over the course of several months following their inheritance.”  _

Voldemort watched Harry closely as the boy shook his head and stared at him in disbelief. He should have known the boy would have a hard time accepting this change in his anatomy; Voldemort himself had had a hard time believing it when he was a teenager and he’d become a dominant naga at his inheritance. 

_ “The developing womb is part of the reason why you can’t shift your tail into legs.”  _ It was best to just keep going instead of letting the boy linger in his denial. “ _ Until your body has fully changed, which will take anywhere between 6 months to a year after your inheritance, your instincts and body will force you to stay in your naga form.”  _

The day was getting worse and worse for Harry. Had it not been for the calming potion in his system he would have been freaking out. He had been looking forward to regaining the use of his legs, despite having grown used to his tail and had even grown to  _ like _ using his tail, but now it looked like he was stuck with it for another 5 months at least. 

“ _ There are a few other anatomical differences between dominant male nagas and submissive male nagas,”  _ There was a dusting of a blush on Voldemort’s cheeks as he cleared his throat to get Harry’s attention back, “ _ but for now such information is unimportant for you and we will cover it in future lessons.”  _

_ “So now you’re going to keep things from me too?” _ Harry hissed out angrily. His mind felt like it was being pulled in a dozen different directions. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole ‘you can get pregnant’ news. It wasn’t something he had ever considered, male pregnancy wasn’t even a ‘thing’ in the muggle world, so why would he ever fantasize about getting pregnant? What he could focus on was the fact that Voldemort was now leaving out other possibly important aspects of his new body. 

After a moment of just staring blandly at Harry, Voldemort sighed. “ _ I’m not keeping things from you Harry. I just don’t think it is vitally important to tell you that male dominant naga have two penises instead of one. Or that you will have the option later on to have multiple mates should that be what you desire.”  _

_ “Ah.”  _ Ok, that really wasn’t what Harry was expecting when Voldemort had said there were things that they wouldn’t talk about until later. “ _ Wait. What? Two pe-” _

_ “We will discuss that later. There are vitally more important things you need to know at the moment.”  _ At least the boy didn’t look like he was getting angry again. This was the best chance Voldemort had to break the news of what else Harry was. 

“ _ Last night, while I was calming you down, I found out something about you. Attached to your magic was a dark spot, one that had fused itself with your core.”  _ He could see a worried frown working its way across Harry’s lips. “ _ It is not dangerous to you. If anything the dark spot gave you enough of a magical boost growing up that probably resulted in more accidental magic than is typical for young children.”  _

Memories of all the ‘freakish’ events in Harry’s life came to mind; the time he turned his teachers hair blue, the time he was suddenly on the roof of his school, the time he vanished the glass at the zoo, and all the little things that had happened whenever he was doing his chores. 

“ _ W-what is it?” _ Harry’s voice was soft, and his shoulders hunched inward a little as if to try and make himself look smaller than he actually was. 

It was a struggle for Voldemort to come up with the right words. So much had changed in the last 24 hours that he didn’t even know how to  _ talk _ to Harry let alone tell him such important things. 

How do you explain such difficult and important magic to a teenager that wasn’t even done with his schooling? The boy was acting very mature for his age, as compared to the other teenagers Voldemort had come across while he had been possessing Quirrell, but he was still a child and Voldemort had to keep that in mind.

Voldemort was half tempted to return to the sex ed talk seeing as how that would have been so much easier to explain.

“ _ Do you know what a Horcrux is?” _ He supposed the easiest way to get this whole thing done would be to just explain things to the boy slowly and carefully. Let him digest the information at his own pace and hope that the calming draught lasted through the entire story. 

Harry’s nose wrinkled and he had to scrape through the last 5 years of magical schooling to try and figure out if he actually knew what Voldemort was talking about. 

“ _ It would greatly surprise me if you did know.”  _ Voldemort had to sigh deeply as the boy shook his head. “ _ Do you at least know what soul magic is?” _

Again all Harry could do was shake his head at the question. 

Voldemort felt vexed at the confused frown Harry was giving him. “ _ This is why ‘Theory of Magic and Classifications’ should be a required class for the first few years.”  _ He grumbled irritably. “ _ It was when I was a student, but now students are lucky to at least have Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.”  _

It was an old argument that he shared with Lucius. Even during the senior Malfoy’s time, there were classes available that allowed a student to learn all sorts of different magic. 

“ _ What’s soul magic and what does it have to do with me?”  _ Harry quickly asked when his once greatest enemy fell silent and began to angrily stare at the wall behind Harry. 

The older naga sighed deeply and was tempted to take some calming draught for himself if only so he wouldn’t get upset over Harry’s lack of proper education. “ _ Soul magic is just that; magic that not only affects the soul, but is also powered by the soul. It is the basis of what a horcrux is.” _

Harry looked even more confused by that rather simplistic explanation and it had Voldemort wishing once again that Hogwarts hadn’t fallen so behind in its educational standards. How could he teach Harry about a complicated and, frankly, little known branch of magic that had taken Voldemort decades to properly understand?

“ _ In the simplest of terms, soul magic is a type of magic that changes the very soul of a person. It can make one’s magic stronger, or even bind a person’s magic. Unspeakables have theorized that the soul is what contains a person’s magic so to change one’s magic, you must change your very soul. _

_ It is believed that soul magic can perform miracles where normal magic cannot. If a witch or wizard is drained of magic and has nothing left to lose, they could use soul magic. The downside is that if you use too much soul magic, you have the chance of destroying your soul completely. In almost all cases of soul magic, a sacrifice is necessary.”  _

When Harry didn’t seem to grow even more confused, Voldemort continued. “ _ It is believed Dementors were created through a necromantic ritual that was powered by soul magic. Dementors suck the very soul out of people. Although they can eat the souls of muggles, they do prefer magical people as a muggle does not have magic in their soul.” _

Harry grimaced and he felt momentarily cold at the very thought of Dementors. 

“ _ I still don’t understand what soul magic has to do with me.” _ Harry mumbled softly, his arms crossed over his chest in annoyance. 

It looked like explaining any theory to the younger naga wasn’t going to help the situation like Voldemort had been hoping it would. He would need to just stop delaying the inevitable and be blunt with the truth. 

“ _ When I was around your age, I delved deeply into soul magic, not knowing just how dangerous it could be to my very sanity. By using a complicated ritual and sacrificing another life, one is able to store a portion of their soul in a vessel called a horcrux.”  _ Voldemort lifted a hand to stop Harry before the younger naga could interrupt him. 

_ “I did so several times, but what I failed to realize was that with each horcrux I made, my soul became more and more unstable each time I split it.” _

The image of Myrtle, crying in her bathroom, flashed through Harry’s mind and he frowned at Voldemort. He knew, because of the diary, that Voldemort had used the basilisk to kill Myrtle and had created the dairy from her death, but he had no idea that the diary was actually a piece of Voldemort’s soul. 

Seeing as how the boy was staying quiet, Voldemort continued. 

_ “By the time I heard the small portion of prophecy that had been brought to me, both my mind and soul were fractured. Had I known then what I do now, I would have never gone after you.” _

Harry glared daggers at Voldemort.  _ “Even if I wasn’t a naga, killing babies is wrong!”  _

_ “I know that Harry, I know.”  _ Voldemort sighed softly and rubbed the bridge of his nose.  _ “But by that point my mind was well beyond being rational. All I saw was a potential threat. Everything else lost importance to me and all I could focus on was the prophecy.”  _

Now that some of his sanity had returned to him, Voldemort couldn’t help but wonder if that obsession with the prophecy had been all him. Even as insane as he had been, he should still have been able to recognize a setup, a trap. It wasn’t as if his intelligence had suffered by him being an idiot and splitting his soul so much. Again he made a mental note to seek out those followers of his that were healers. 

_ “In my insanity, I decided to split my soul one last time, using your death as the necessary sacrifice for the ritual. I had everything prepared ahead of time and ready for the moment of your death.”  _

Pure dread filled Harry’s stomach like ice, chilling him to the very bone. He wasn’t as intelligent as Hermione, but after years of dealing with a manipulative headmaster and even longer surviving with the Dursleys, Harry knew how to read between the lines. 

“ _ I’m a horcrux. I’m YOUR horcrux!”  _ Harry, still entangled with the blankets, tried to get himself free from the bed to flee from the white scaled naga that had been his enemy for so long. 

Voldemort didn’t deny the boy’s words, in fact his gaze turned sad as the younger naga attempted to get as much distance between the two of them again. He did nothing, his hands staying in his lap, until Harry reached up to try and claw at his own forehead. 

“ _ Harry!”  _ Voldemort cried out and launched himself across the bed to grab the younger naga’s hands. He pulled the boy’s hands away, but not before Harry had scratched thin lines across his scar. 

“ _ That’s why you can get into my head, why I saw all those visions last year!”  _ Harry was squirming and struggling so hard that Voldemort ended up having to pin him to the bed, his own tail coiling around Harry’s through the blanket to keep the long green appendage from flailing and possibly getting injured. “ _ Dumbledore knew! He bloody knew what I was and all he told me was that we had a ‘connection’! That you gave me some of your power when you tried to kill me!”  _

The younger naga raged and hissed beneath Voldemort, his hips thrusting up to try and knock the older naga away from him, but only succeeded in making Voldemort groan almost inaudibly beneath his breath. 

Voldemort had to bite his tongue hard to force himself not to react to how the younger male was twisting and rubbing against Voldemort’s waist and groin. Harry’s distress was enough to keep him from doing anything he would later regret, but Voldemort would never deny the fact that he was a dominant and having a beautiful submissive beneath him was very appealing. 

Eventually Harry slowly stilled enough for Voldemort to risk letting him go. For a moment Voldemort just hovered over Harry, his hands lightly touching the younger naga’s wrists to make sure Harry wouldn’t try to harm himself again. 

The fight to keep his cheeks from coloring with a blush was difficult for Voldemort as he stared down at the panting and worn out younger naga. Harry’s silky long hair had fanned out around him, his cheeks and chest becoming pink from exertion, and his eyes half lidded as he panted hard for breath.

Had anyone walked in at that moment, Voldemort was sure the younger naga’s virtue would be in question.

“ _ I believe another calming draught would be best.” _ Voldemort whispered as he very slowly slid off of and away from Harry on the bed, his tail slipping away slowly from the other. “ _ Yes, you are my horcrux, and yes more than likely Dumbledore knew.” _

Harry sat up slowly, his arms shaking slightly even with his weight as slim as it was. When another blue potion was handed over, Harry downed it without even a moment of hesitation. He was just thankful his magic hadn’t tried to lash out again. 

“ _ I do not know for sure, but there may be a way for me to safely remove my soul piece from you. I will need time for further research, but the only way I know to return a soul piece at the moment is to destroy the vessel the soul is in. I know soul pieces can be returned to the main soul piece, myself, seeing as how when you destroyed my diary the soul piece in that horcrux returned to me.”  _ Voldemort told Harry once the boy was calm enough to listen again. “ _ With or without my soul piece inside you, Harry, my decision to protect you and care for you will remain the same.”  _

Harry was at a loss as to what to say or do. The idea of having a part of Voldemort’s soul in him had him shivering, but it didn’t make him feel nearly as disgusted as he would have thought. His new instincts almost liked the idea of having a part of such a powerful dominant attached to him; which confused Harry to no end. He had always hated the connection he shared with Voldemort, but now he found himself growing to like it. Just the thought of liking something like that was so strange for Harry and he wanted to scream out all of his confusion.

“ _ There is one last thing I wish to talk to you about, but it can wait if you are feeling too overwhelmed.” _

With those words Harry’s gaze snapped up from his lap to lock onto Voldemort. The man looked almost nervous, hesitant to continue with whatever it was that he wanted to say. What in the world could be worse than the whole ‘you’re a horcrux Harry’ discussion? 

Whatever it was, Harry just wanted to get it over with. 

“ _ Tell me now while I’m hopped up on calming draught.” _ After taking two doses in under an hour, Harry knew from experience he wouldn’t be able to take any more for at least 12 hours. 

For several long minutes, Voldemort just stared at Harry, his red eyes never leaving the emerald gaze of the boy sitting on the bed. 

Just as Harry was about to tell Voldemort to just get it over with, the older naga spoke five words that left Harry reeling and unable to string together more than two coherent thoughts.

“ _ I wish to court you.” _

_ “You wish to what me?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, just one update this week. So the next update will be Monday the 20th of July. 
> 
> So to clear something up, I do in fact have a buffer of chapters. This is to make sure that if I ever have to take a week off from writing, I'm not forced to skip an update. What I try to do, aka my goal each week, is to write 1 new chapter so that the buffer doesn't get depleted. Having a buffer also allows me to write ahead and go back to earlier chapters to fix any plot holes that may come up. I've had to do this a couple of times already even if those plot holes weren't really that important. 
> 
> I'm doing a little better mentally, but there's still a little bit of a struggle. Medication can only help so much, but I'm forcing myself to keep something of a schedule so I don't end up curled up in bed disassociating (which is a real problem for me). My cats have been helping, in the way that my mainecoon girl stands on my face and tries to use me as a ladder to climb the window above the bed. What a way to wake up in the mornings. 
> 
> Anyway, weekly reminder that I do have a tumblr: ethrildragon, where I post regular nonsense and sometimes writing info. As well as a plethora of pictures of my cats. See you guys next week.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding out that he was a submissive naga who could give birth one day was not something Harry would have ever imagined happening. It really didn't help that it was Voldemort that gave him that little tidbit of information. What was worse was that Harry had also found out that he had a piece of the Dark Lord's soul inside of him and Voldemort had no idea if he could even remove it! What was Harry supposed to even do with that information?! It's not like he could go running off to Dumbledore to beg for help, not when Harry questioned whether or not the old man was trustworthy. 
> 
> What was the real cherry on top, was that Voldemort wanted to court him. Why couldn't Harry ever catch a break?
> 
> At least Harry had Narcissa to save the day and give him an in depth explanation of things.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 12

Hours had gone by since Harry had first woken up in his new bedroom only to have the longest and strangest talk with Voldemort of his life. He had no problem accepting the horcrux, as weird as it was for him to admit. The whole horcrux situation made sense after he connected the dots of all the strange things that had happened in his life. 

The thing that was bothering him wasn’t the soul piece in his scar. No. It was the entire naga situation. 

Harry didn’t know what to think about first; the fact that he was apparently a submissive naga or that Voldemort, the great Dark Lord, wanted to court him. It had taken him a few minutes to process what he had been asked, and then to figure out what Voldemort had really meant.

In retrospect, Harry realized he shouldn’t have had the outburst that he’d had when Voldemort had asked to court him. As soon as Harry had yelled Voldemort had sighed and had simply handed him a large old looking book. The older naga had told Harry that they would talk more about the possible courtship once Harry had read the book; specifically the chapters pertaining to submissive anatomy and naga mating. 

Voldemort had left Harry’s room shortly after that, his tail shifting back to trouser clad legs as soon as he was standing. 

Harry had been left in a state of muted shock, thanks to the double dose of calming draught, more questions than he knew how to put words to, and a rather boring looking book. 

Something about Harry’s reaction had caused Voldemort to seek out Narcissa and request that she spend time with Harry so that he wouldn’t be alone. 

That was how Harry had ended up out in the gardens. Narcissa had shown up less than an hour later and had insisted that Harry get out of bed. She had stuffed him into a rather nice light green silky shirt and had gracefully dragged him out of his bedroom. 

From there she’d ordered a late brunch for the two of them, back at the table they’d eaten at the day before, and she had proceeded to have yet another uncomfortable discussion with him. 

Apparently not only had Voldemort asked Narcissa to spend time with him, the Dark Lord had asked that Lady Malfoy also explain to him how courting in the magical world worked.

* * *

“My Lord informs me that you have had quite a shock today.” Narcissa’s voice was gentle and soft as she settled Harry into the white garden chair he’d been sitting in the day before. “And that he has told you of his intentions towards you. As such my Lord has requested I explain a few things to you so that you may have a better understanding of the situation.”

All through her little speech, Narcissa had been pouring the tea that the house elves had already set out for them. Several trays of food appeared, the closest to Harry holding various selections of rather rare looking meats. 

“While you eat I will outline the basics of a typical courtship between two wizards, seeing as how I only know the basics of naga courting.” She daintily lifted her cup of tea to her lips, ignoring the sputtering and denials from the teenage naga across from her. 

Harry had been hoping, praying really, that Voldemort had asked Narcissa to talk to him about ANYTHING else besides the whole courtship thing. It seemed that his prayers had not only been ignored, but had been killed and buried without any sort of ceremony.

“Courtship may seem rather ominous, especially for one just through his inheritance such as yourself, but rest assured that you are not required nor obligated to accept a courtship offer right now.” Narcissa quickly told Harry once he was no longer choking on his tea. 

After swallowing hard, Harry cleared his throat in order to speak. “Do I have to accept _his_ offer though?” His voice was still broken, but Harry wasn’t sure if it was because of the tea he had choked on or his distress. “And why did Voldemort even ask to court me? He’s been trying to-”

Harry bit his tongue to keep from finishing what he was about to say. He had almost admitted to Narcissa that Voldemort had been trying to kill him for the past 15 years. What other 16 year old had Voldemort been attempting to murder for so long?

Other than Voldemort and the snakes, only Draco knew just who Harry really was. 

Narcissa smiled knowingly, if a little sadly, and nodded. “I do not pretend to know why my Lord does what he does. I do imagine though he asked to court you because he believes you would make a powerful mate; someone who would be his equal in life.” 

The words of that blasted prophecy echoed in Harry’s head for a moment until he shook them away irritably.

“Now then,” Narcissa had waited until Harry had seemed to calm down some before continuing, “Normally, when a minor is involved, the offer of courtship is brought before the minor’s guardian.” 

“Which I don’t have.” Harry grumbled bitterly. Sirius had been his godfather, but after what Bellatrix had done in the DoM back during school...and there was no way in hell Harry could see Voldemort going to the Dursley’s just to ask to court him. 

A little hysterical giggle bubbled up in Harry’s throat as he imagined Voldemort sitting on his aunt’s couch, tea in hand, while he spoke to Vernon across the coffee table. The image of the white older naga in such a very muggle setting was almost too much for Harry. 

The calming draught was definitely wearing off.

Again Narcissa had to wait for Harry to calm down before trying to continue with her lecture on magical courtships. 

“Although you are still a minor in age, because of your inheritance you are legally an adult. As such, any offers of courting can be brought to you directly unless you assign a mediator to speak on your behalf. Normally a parent or guardian acts as mediator for an underage wizard or witch.

I will do my best to instruct you on the intricacies of wizarding courtship, but I would suggest you select a mediator once you are ready to take courtship offers seriously.”

Harry had been growing progressively paler the longer Narcissa spoke. “What if I don’t want to be courted? To have random guys asking to court me?”

Harry’s question only made Narcissa sigh sadly. She fought not to shake her head and roll her eyes. “Then that is your choice. I am simply giving you the knowledge so that you will not be ignorant and accidentally insult someone, or worse.” 

“Who’s to say I even want to date, court, whatever with a guy!” His arms went across his chest and he glared down at his plate full of bloody sausages and slices of very red meat. “I don’t even know if I like guys.” 

Same sex relationships were not uncommon in the magical world; there were plenty of potions and rituals available, illegal and legal, to allow a same sex couple to have children. Normally all purebloods end up receiving a courtship offer by at least one person of the same sex at least once before marriage. 

Narcissa herself had received two courtship offers from two of her female classmates before her parents had pushed her towards Lucius. 

“You will never know until you at least give it a thought.” Narcissa told the young naga politely. “From what I know about naga submissives, you will more than likely not feel any sort of draw towards a woman.” 

Harry huffed angrily as he pushed some of the meat on his plate around with a fork. It wasn’t like he’d ever actually thought about dating anyone. Sure he’d had a crush on Cho back in his fourth year, but he had to wonder if that had been an actual crush or just him responding to his friends pushing him towards Cho. 

After what he had learned about Ginny yesterday, Harry doubted he would ever be able to have feelings for the opposite sex.

Had he ever actually thought about boys in any sort of way?

An image of young Tom Riddle, from the diary, came to Harry suddenly and he felt his cheeks heating up. Young Riddle’s face was replaced with Draco’s and then Cedric’s. To Harry’s shock and surprise, a new face came to mind. One that had him sputtering and coughing. 

Voldemort, as he was now, with his dark wavy hair, ruby red eyes, pale skin, and white scales filled Harry’s inner eye. At Narcissa’s concerned glance Harry quickly shook his head and drank down some water to clear his throat. 

Ok, so Harry had noticed how handsome some guys could be, but did that mean he actually wanted to date, let alone be with a guy? Did that mean he was actually considering Voldemort’s courtship offer?

“Whether or not you decide to accept my Lord’s courtship offer, you still need to know the steps involved with courting.” Narcissa daintily drank from her cup of tea while she observed the young naga. “The first step, as you have no doubt guessed, is the declaration of intent. As I said, this is normally done with parents, guardians, or a mediator involved. As you have none, my Lord brought his declaration directly to you.

After the declaration is the discussion phase.” Narcissa held up a hand to stop Harry from interrupting her as he had been about to do. “The discussion phase is entirely up to you. In the simplest of terms, you and your courter lay out the ground rules for the courtship. The minimum and maximum amount of time the courter is allowed to court you, any hard rules or boundaries that they can not cross, the sorts of gifts you would and would not accept, if you want to have chaperones present, any limits to physical contact, etcetera.”

“S-so if I said absolutely no touching-”

“Then your courter would either negotiate or accept the terms. Usually your parents or guardians would be with you for the discussion phase and would set most of the ground rules. Most pureblood families have found that the courted tend to follow any rules set by their parents if they are allowed to be involved.” A little giggle slipped past Narcissa’s lips. 

“I remember when we were discussing courting rules between myself and Lucius.” Her eyes misted over a little and she let out a little breathy sigh. “My mother was adamant that there be absolutely no physical contact for at least 5 months and that there would always be a Black family member around to chaperone our meetings.

I was so enraged with my mother! I was very much smitten with Lucius and would have married him in an instant if he had offered, but it would have made such a scandal.” 

Harry had never seen Lady Malfoy giggling and sighing like a heartstruck teenage girl before. Then again he hadn’t really ever seen her for more than a few hours at a time, but he had always imagined that Pureblood women were much like their men counterparts; stoick and constantly wearing emotionless masks. 

“I threatened my mother, behind closed doors of course, that if she did not allow me to at least hold hands with Lucius then I would immediately go and find myself a mediator for my courtship offers.” Again Narcissa giggled. “You need to understand, Hassis, that although one's parents or guardians can play an integral role in courtship offers, the ultimate decision lies with the courted.” 

“But,” Harry nibbled on his lip as a question came up in his confused mind. “What about…” His voice fell quiet and he rubbed at the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“What about what Hassis? I am here to answer any and all of your questions to the best of my ability. Anything you ask will stay between us, I promise I won’t even tell my Lord if that is what you wish.” What Narcissa failed to tell Harry was that Voldemort had already told her to do everything she could to make Harry comfortable enough to trust her; including keeping his secrets from everyone and anyone, even himself. 

For a moment Harry shifted around in his seat before finally sighing and mentally ordering himself to ask the stupid question. “What about marriage contracts? Arranged marriages? I heard some girls at school talking about how their parents had already promised them to others.” 

He had only heard about it in passing, and surprisingly enough he’d heard such talks from the Patil twins instead of some Slytherin girls like he’d been expecting. 

As soon as Hermione had heard them discussing their arranged marriages, she had become enraged. She’d started hounding the two girls, constantly telling them how arranged marriages were barbaric and medieval and that they should take control of their lives. She’d told them that arranged marriages were just as bad as slavery and were just a fancy way of selling girls off to the highest bidder. 

Both the Patil sisters had grown angry as well, but they hadn’t said anything. Later they’d confided to Harry that in pureblood society arranged marriages were normal. Both girls had met their intendeds and approved of them. 

Still, Hermione had been on a rampage for weeks, trying to convince the Patil twins to give up on their arranged marriages. It all came to a head when both girls told Hermione to stop butting into their lives, and who they married and why was their choice. 

“Ah.” Narcissa sighed sadly and set her tea down. “Arranged marriages are common, but they aren’t as horrifying as I think you are imagining. I know that here in Britain marriage contracts involving minors are required to have breakage stipulations for when the minor involved comes of age. It is true that some families pressure their children to follow through with the contracts, and it is also true that there are parents in this world that force their children to marry another person not of their choosing even without a contract.”

She looked at Harry sadly and with a shake of her head continued. “It is the way of humanity. There will always be those that do as they please without thought of the welfare and happiness of the others involved.”

For several long minutes Narcissa was silent before she finally continued. “I am the youngest sister of three. Bellatrix is the oldest. Traditionally the oldest daughter is placed into an arranged marriage. Bellatrix was pressured to accept the arrangement with Lestrange, but, well, she was stubborn about it.”

Harry’s nose wrinkled a bit and he had to put his fork down mid bite so he wouldn’t choke on the thin slice of what he assumed was beef. 

“Bellatrix agreed to marry Rodolphus, but she only did so after being allowed to alter their marriage contract.” Narcissa shook her head, but she was smiling fondly. “She didn’t really change all that much, but she did add quite a few things that would allow her the freedom to do whatever she wanted in life. Honestly though, Bellatrix hasn’t ever really done anything that would have gone against the original contract.”

“Then why-”

“Because Bellatrix has always been headstrong, confident, controlling, and stubborn. Rodolphus apparently loves that about her.” Harry could have sworn he heard Narcissa snicker for a moment at that. “Had she wanted to, she could have broken the contract when she came of age; as was her right. As much as she complained about the entire thing, I think my older sister was rather fond of Rodolphus in their younger years.”

Harry took the moment of silence that they fell into to eat a few more pieces of the practically raw meat. He even experimented with a little bit of the cheese spread and when he found that he didn’t immediately get ill from eating it, he ate a little more. 

“My second sister on the other hand decided to not only break her contract, but to run away with a muggle-born boy.” 

The piece of meat he’d put some cheese on stopped midway to Harry’s mouth. Although Narcissa had said those words as neutrally as possible, he could see that she was sad over the fact. 

“Many people will claim Andromeda, my sister, was disinherited from the Black family because of who she chose to marry. This is incorrect. She was disinherited because she eloped without even speaking with her family about her choice.

There are certain traditions that purebloods follow. Traditions that are usually steeped in magic which makes it imperative to at least respect those traditions. My sister had an arranged marriage contract that she never once argued against. Even after she turned 17 she never said anything against it. Then, one day, she left and never came home.” That sadness that Harry had only caught a glimpse of before came back.

“My parents received a letter a week later announcing my sister’s marriage to the muggle-born boy she’d met at school. The sudden announcement forced my parents to break the marriage contract themselves and they had to pay a grievance fee to the family the contract was with. One of the stipulations the other family made, for restitution, was that Andromeda be disowned. Had they not agreed, my parents potentially could have lost their magic as it was them that broke the magically binding marriage contract and not my sister.” 

Narcissa paused for a moment to stare off to the side before turning her gaze back to Harry. “Do you understand why I am telling you this?”

For a moment Harry had to think about everything Narcissa had told him. He pieced the information together in his mind before slowly nodding only to frown and shake his head. 

His confusion didn’t seem to upset Narcissa at all, if anything she looked relieved as she smiled at him. “I’m telling you this so you can understand that marriage contracts and arranged marriages can be broken. There are people out there that sell off their children, I will not deny that, but magical marriage can not be forced. The final decision rests solely on the two getting married.

If Andromeda had broken the contract herself, there would have been no repercussions other than our parents being disappointed and a bunch of gossip. Bellatrix had complete control over her marriage contract and she chose to use that control to get everything that she wanted. 

I used my courtship rights to keep my mother from making my courtship difficult and uncomfortable. 

In the end, the person making the decisions will be you and your courter. If you decide after being courted that you do not want a contract written, then so be it. If you want to be married mid courtship, that is your decision. If you do not want to be courted by Lord Voldemort, then no one can force you to change your mind, not even my Lord himself.”

Something eased inside of Harry and the breath he’d been holding slowly whooshed out of him. He’d been so worried that his choices would be taken from him; like they’d been taken so many times before in his life. 

It was Lord Voldemort that had asked to court him after all. What would stop the man from just forcing Harry to marry him? Although...the older naga had promised not to do anything to hurt Harry and that he would protect him from here on out. Forcing Harry into a life long relationship would definitely hurt him emotionally and mentally. 

“Now then. The discussion phase of a courtship can go on for quite some time. Most parents take their time with the discussion phase when working out a marriage contract; usually taking years to iron out the details.”

“Wait...I’m confused about something.” Harry hated to interrupt Narcissa, especially since she was trying to be helpful, but she had told him to ask his questions. “What’s the difference between courting and arranged marriages? Am I going to need to make a marriage contract with Voldemort if I agree to court him?”

Narcissa at least didn’t seem upset about the interruption. She just smiled indulgently at him. “Both are pureblood traditions and can sometimes take place simultaneously. Sometimes an arranged marriage is made and then the couple courts, or dates, until marriage. Sometimes a marriage contract is made and upheld without the need of courting. 

Courting, when a marriage contract is not involved, is a way for one person to declare their intentions to another formally. It’s...well it’s dating, but with more rules and usually a set time limit. And no, you do not need to have a marriage contract to court.” 

“But why do some people have marriage contracts while others court? You said your sisters both had marriage contracts, but it sounds like you were courted by Mr. Malfoy.” Harry frowned at the Lady across from him. 

“It all comes down to what a family prefers. In the Black family, it is traditional for the eldest child to have a marriage contract written up by the time they are eleven. Any other child can either have a marriage contract or be allowed to court whomever they want.

Andromeda was born only a year after Bellatrix was, so my parents thought it would be best to get them both marriage contracts. Their marriage contracts were also politically motivated. At the time of my birth and childhood, my parents were content with the two marriage contracts they had already written up.”

“Can someone who has a marriage contract even date other people?” 

Narcissa was starting to see what Harry was trying to figure out. “Yes. Offers of courtship from other people can still be given. Most of the time those courtship offers are rejected, but if one comes along that is more promising or preferable to the marriage contract, then the courtship can be accepted. 

If the courtship is successful, then the marriage contract can be broken. During that time the other party of the marriage contract can either make counter offers of courtship or, in simple terms, try to sweeten the deal so that the marriage contract will not be broken.” 

“So...there doesn’t really seem like there's that much of a difference between the two?” His words were slow as he tried to really understand what he was being told. 

“Not particularly. Marriage contracts are just long term promises for marriage set up by parents or families when their children are young while offers of courtship are only made when a person is at least a teenager and is usually started by the individuals that want to court and not by their family.” She really hoped Harry was starting to understand so she could get back to explaining how courting worked. “Although, I suppose courtings are easier to end than marriage contracts.” 

The two were quiet for a few minutes. Narcissa returned to sipping at her tea while Harry processed what he had been told.

“Any more questions?” 

Harry quickly shook his head even though he had a hundred other questions on his mind; none of which seemed particularly relevant to what Narcissa was supposed to be trying to tell him. 

“Alright then.” Narcissa poured herself some more tea and dropped in a cube of sugar before continuing. “After the discussion phase, a courting couple moves onto the dating phase. For the first few dates, a chaperone is chosen to join them to make sure any and all boundaries are upheld. Once both individuals are comfortable with each other, the chaperone can be dismissed from future dates.

During the dates, the one who made the courtship offer will try to show his or her intended that they care about the union in some way. Most bring gifts that they believe have some value for their intended, others will take their intended to destinations they believe their intended will enjoy. Some more political courtship dates tend to appear more like business meetings.”

“Can the, er, intended give gifts or choose the places for the dates?” Harry flushed a bit with a blush as he asked his question during one of Narcissa’s small breaks. It felt like his face was in a perpetual state of heat.

Narcissa actually giggled at his question before nodding. “Of course. It’s not expected of the intended to do so, but many do to show affection or to try and show their courter what they would prefer. I once took Lucius to the opera. He didn’t really enjoy it, but I did. Ever since then my husband has made sure to take me to the opera at least twice a year.”

“How long do the dates happen? Like...could we date for a couple years or can they only go on for a couple months?” After his one date with Cho, Harry knew he would need to go on a lot of dates with a person to even get remotely comfortable with them. If he could only date for a few months then Harry knew he would be having trouble with courting. 

“For as long as you want. Which brings us to the terms renewal phase.” Narcissa reached over to pick up a small pastry with two fingers. “The terms renewal phase can happen as frequently or infrequently as you want. It’s just you and your courter coming together to talk about whether or not the rules of the courtship should be altered. Some couples renew their courtship rules once a month, others wait a year before changing things. 

If ever you feel like things have changed in your courtship, you can request a terms renewal. Remember Hassis, _you_ control your courtship and your courter is trying to prove himself to you. If he truly wants to marry you, he will hear your every demand and work with you; as any strong and healthy couple should.”

“Seems really one sided to me.” Harry mumbled softly. 

“It does seem skewed towards the intended, but giving this much control to the intended does show the courter what kind of person their intended is. The courter can find out if their intended is selfish or submissive. It allows the courter to see just how far their intended will bend before snapping.” Narcissa grinned mischievously around her fruit tart and gave Harry a knowing wink.

“After the terms renewal phase, the couple can either return to dating or they can discuss final terms. During final terms they will either settle on a marriage agreement, which can be a marriage contract or a simple proposal, or they will end the courtship altogether. 

Sometimes, if a courtship is ended on good terms, the couple will try to court again at a later time. If the courtship is ended on bad terms, then the two cannot court again by magical law.” 

“So if I wanted to court multiple people, to get to know them, I could later go back to someone that I liked before?” Harry bit his lip as he asked that question. It felt weird talking about dating people to get to know them like that. 

“You can be courted by multiple people at one time if that’s what you want. I’ve known others that have tried that, but most have a hard time keeping track of multiple courters. Still, it is your choice.” 

A bright blush spread across Harry’s cheeks. He’d only been thinking of dating one person at a time and then making a decision; he had no idea what he would do if he was trying to date several people at once! 

The entire idea sounded like one of his Aunt Petunia’s romance dramas on the television. 

“At this moment, you and my Lord are still at the declaration phase of the courtship. If you decide to accept his offer, you will move onto the discussion phase. As I suggested before, it would be wise to choose a mediator to help you to write up the terms of the courtship and to help you figure out what you would be comfortable with.”

“Would you-” Harry felt like he had a perpetual blush on his cheeks thanks to the entire discussion. 

Narcissa knew exactly what Harry was trying to ask and she smiled soothingly at the young man. “I would be honored to be a mediator for you, if that is what you truly want. Since I do not know you well, I would simply be there to support you, to clear up unfamiliar terms, and to offer advice when asked. As your mediator I can also act as a chaperone until you are comfortable dating your courter.” She reached over to gently pat at his hand.

“Do not make the decision now Hassis. When you’ve made a decision regarding my Lord’s courting offer, then decide if you want me to be a mediator. My Lord has already asked that I act as a neutral party between the two of you so, no matter what you decide, I can offer you advice and support no matter what.”

Even though Narcissa had no idea who Harry really was, it felt nice that she was actually offering her aid to him. She wasn’t asking anything of him in return, which seemed odd, but if Voldemort had already asked her to help him then she was probably taking it as an order from her Lord. 

“I know what you’re thinking, Hassis, but I would have offered my support even without my Lord’s request. You are a young man, just through your inheritance, alone in the world, and if my Draco were in the same situation I would hope someone would look out for him as well.” 

Her gaze softened and she smiled fondly at the young naga across from her. 

Those were the eyes of a mother and Harry’s heart ached. He’d never had a mother, nor a maternal figure look at him like that. Mrs. Weasley had smiled at him, had been kind to him, but she’d never actually smiled the way Narcissa was. Lady Malfoy was smiling at him as if he were her son, not just a friend of her son like Mrs. Weasley treated him. 

“Why-” Harry’s voice broke before he cleared his throat and tried again. “Why are you being so nice to me? You don’t even know me…”

“Because Hassis, despite what the Light would have you think, being Dark does not make one heartless. I may be a dark witch, but I am also a mother. Seeing a child lost and in pain hurts my heart and soul.”

Narcissa reached across the table, over the plates of food and cups of tea, to gently hold Harry’s hand in her own. “And you have so much pain in your eyes. If standing beside you and offering my support eases even a fraction of that pain, it is worth it. _Harry.”_

There were tears in Harry’s eyes and he was distracted just long enough to not realize that the woman had used his real name. When it did sink in, Harry’s eyes went wide and he practically flew back and away from Narcissa in fright. 

“My husband and the others still do not know, but they are usually blind to the truth until it’s shoved at them. After last night, seeing your reactions to what Lucius reported, I knew who you were Hassis. Draco is also a very bad liar.” She smiled fondly again and shook her head. 

“My Lord knows that I know and I have sworn not to tell anyone unless you allow me to.” Narcissa quickly assured Harry, motioning slowly for him to retake his seat. “I do not care who you are or what name you use. All I care about is that you are a young man who needs help and guidance.”

Once Harry was sitting again, Narcissa stood up and brushed out the wrinkles on her dress. “I will let you finish your brunch in peace Hassis. If you need anything, simply call for a house elf to get me. I believe my Lord left you a book about nagas?” When she got a nod from Harry, Narcissa smiled. “I will have a book on wizarding courting be sent up to your room as well. I only told you the basics of courting today, but there are several little nuances that you should know about that the book can explain.”

And with that Harry was left alone in the garden with plates of various meats and pastries for him to try. 

He ate slowly, going over everything that he’d been told, first from Lord Voldemort and then from Narcissa. Hours went by without him even noticing, the food and the tea he’d been drinking being kept fresh and warm by various house elf charms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Narcissa is very good at just throwing information around. I will continue to use her like that in the future. Gotta have at least one information broker in a story!
> 
> I'm doing a lot better. Writing is still a slow process, but I've been getting more and more written so I'm getting back into the swing of things. 
> 
> Next update will be Monday the 27th of July. See you guys next week!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I seem to keep forgetting to mention it, I update regularly on Mondays. This chapter is a little on the short side, but it flows better with the next chapter.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 13

Eventually Hassaria and Lash finished their hunt with Nagini and found their way to the garden to join Harry. By then Harry had given up trying to eat anymore and had asked a house elf to take away the leftovers. 

“ _ Why do you smell upset, my Hassis?” _ Hassaria cooed as she slithered up the chair to wrap around Harry’s shoulders. “ _ Are you still upset about last night? I had hoped the elder blessed one had calmed you.” _

Harry smiled a little weakly at his snake mother and rubbed two fingers along the side of her head and neck. With his other hand he scooped Lash up to lift him up onto the table since he was having trouble trying to get up so high on his own. 

“ _ I learned some upsetting things today, but I needed to know them. Did you know that I was a submissive naga?” _

Hassaria tilted her head and if she’d had eyebrows Harry could have sworn they would be pinched close together. 

“ _ Of course I did my Hassis. You have the egg bearers scent.”  _

“ _ Even I knew!”  _ Lash exclaimed helpfully as he slithered around on the glass top of the garden table. “ _ You smell sweet like those berries you eat!”  _

Harry groaned softly and rolled his eyes heavenward. Of course the two snakes he’d been with would know, but they obviously thought him being a submissive was a normal thing; that he wouldn’t be upset over it. They didn’t know that human males, particularly muggle males, couldn’t become pregnant and carry young. 

“ _ This upsets you?” _ Nagini asked in confusion from where she was coiled up along Harry’s lap and over the edge of the armrests of his chair. “ _ Being a bearer, a submissive, is something to celebrate. You will have all the strong dominant males vying for your attention and favor. With so many to choose from, you will be able to find one that will give you strong and healthy hatchings!”  _

He should have known that the snakes wouldn’t understand. Even Nagini, who had been around humans a lot longer than Hassaria and Lash, didn’t get it. 

“ _ I get that, but I don’t even know if I like males! I was raised human, by muggles, and in the muggle world men can’t get pregnant.”  _ Harry’s frustration was leaking into his voice and words. “ _ Muggles don’t approve of same sex relationships! Knowing that I can have my own kids, that I’ll probably end up with another man, it’s strange. It’s like...like…” _

For a moment Harry floundered as he tried to find the right words. “ _ It’s weird to even think about and a part of me is telling me that it’s all wrong. I know it’s not, so I have to relearn so many things and forget others.” _

“ _ You should never listen to muggles.” _ Nagini hissed out with what looked to be a very human-like snear. “ _ Humans are ignorant in general, but muggles are so much worse. They punish you for following your instincts and being yourself all while preaching about freewill and tolerance. Despicable.”  _

“ _ Not all humans are like that.”  _ Harry mumbled weakly. “ _ I mean...for the first 16 years of my life I thought I was human. I was raised human.”  _

Hassaria rubbed her head against Harry’s cheek comfortingly when he fell silent. She could sense how mentally exhausted her adopted child was. 

“ _ No, not all humans are bad, but most are.”  _ Nagini admitted testily. “ _ Even though you were raised human, you still would have had snake instincts. You would have been able to sense danger near you, preferred solitude and quiet places, eaten mostly meat and fruit, and done anything to keep yourself safe. _

_ Humans have become blind to their instincts and expect all beings around them to behave the same. So whenever you did not act like them, they would have lashed out at you. Humans would have sensed that you weren’t quite human and would have shunned you for it.” _

Nagini wasn’t wrong. Growing up, it hadn’t been just the Dursley’s sneering at Harry and hating him for no reason. The teachers at his school had all been wary of him even before Vernon and Petunia had warned them that he was a troublemaker. Dudley hadn’t even had to try hard to scare away any potential friends for Harry. 

The older snake was also right about how Harry had always been able to sense when danger was around him. He always just knew who he could trust and who he couldn’t. She was right about how he liked being alone; even when he was at Hogwarts, with real friends, Harry still felt a need now and then for some solitude and quiet. 

The only thing Nagini had gotten wrong was about his diet. But then again Harry had never had much choice before Hogwarts about what he could and couldn’t eat. He’d eaten whatever he’d been given only because he was far too hungry to be picky. 

Now that Harry thought about it, after he had started Hogwarts his diet had subtly changed to a more meat and fruit based diet. He could remember all the times Hermione had lectured him about having more balanced meals. 

“ _ It’s still something I’m not used to. It’s going to take time for me to wrap my mind around everything.” _

The two older snakes sighed in exasperation while Lash just hissed about Harry being silly. 

_ “You think too much with your human thoughts. Listen to your instincts. What do they tell you?” _

For several long minutes Harry thought about Nagini’s question. As his thoughts went round and round, his fingers lightly rubbed along one snake’s head and then another’s. It was comforting for him to be able to run his fingers along the smooth scales of the snakes that were wrapped around him. 

The feelings in Harry that he had designated as his ‘snake instincts’ were calm, content, and almost relieved at knowing the truth. It was like they had always known something was different about him and that it was wrong for him to try and be attracted to girls. Now that he knew...his instincts felt free. Those feelings confused him and Harry felt like pulling on his hair. 

How could he even think of being happy over the fact that he was going to end up in a relationship with a man?! For years growing up he’d listened to people around him belittling and insulting anyone that even seemed homosexual. It wasn’t just his aunt and uncle either; several of his teachers had made comments now and then. The neighbors had all whispered hateful things about the gay couple a couple streets over. 

Harry didn’t want that sort of attention! He’d already had to deal with being hated growing up and being hated for whatever stupid reason at Hogwarts. He didn’t want to be hated and scorned just because he was attracted to men!

But was he really?! Was he actually thinking about what it would be like to hold hands with a man, to kiss him, to be held and feel the warmth of being held? He hadn’t even thought those things about girls!

And yet when Harry tried to imagine what life would be like for him with a handsome man beside him, he couldn’t help but imagine a long white tail and sparkling ruby red eyes. 

“ _ I can’t believe I’m even considering it!”  _ Harry hissed softly as he covered his face with his hands. Voldemort had attacked his family and had killed his parents when Harry had been a baby. The man had tried no less than 5 times to kill him. It was Voldemort’s fault that Harry had gone to the Department of Mysteries that day and why Sirius had shown up only to fall through the veil. 

Voldemort had tortured him in the graveyard two years ago. The man had made Harry’s life a living hell for years. How could he ever consider accepting a courtship with him?!

Maybe Harry could accept that the Dark Lord no longer wanted to kill Harry, he could even accept that the man wanted to protect him, but what he could not accept was that the man, the one that had killed thousands, wanted a relationship with him. 

It was impossible anyway. Dumbledore had told Harry that Voldemort couldn’t feel emotions like love and compassion. If for some god forsaken reason Harry did actually accept a courtship with Voldemort, he knew there wouldn’t be any emotions involved. 

No. Harry couldn’t accept that. The one thing in his life he had always looked forward to, had always dreamed about, was finding someone that would love him and start a family with him. Harry had always dreamed of what it would be like to have that one person in his life that would smile just for him, that would hold him in front of a fire on cold days, and would laugh at some random joke that Harry would tell badly. 

That imaginary dream person was all that kept Harry going for years before Hogwarts. 

“ _ Considering what my Hassis?” _ Hassaria asked when her young hatchling became too quiet. That upset scent on him was only getting stronger as time went on and she did not like to see her hatchling so upset. “ _ Hassis? Please talk to me.” _

His mother’s voice was so soft and full of so much concern for him that it brought tears to Harry’s eyes. Never in his life had someone, animal or human, cared so much about him before. His snake mother didn’t care about who he was, who he had been, or who he would eventually love. She only cared about him and his happiness. 

Harry took a deep calming breath, and then another as he wiped away the gathering tears in his eyes. “ _ Voldemort...he...he asked to court me.”  _

Honestly Harry should have expected the reactions from Hassaria and Nagini. They didn’t care who Voldemort was. Hassaria only cared that he didn’t harm Harry while Nagini thought Voldemort hung the sun and moon in the sky. But still, he should have expected the hissing squeals from the two female snakes that were wrapped around him. 

“ _ Of course Master would want to court you!”  _ Nagini cooed as she lifted her head up to but her forehead against Harry’s chin. “ _ You are a powerful submissive and he is a powerful dominant! The two of you would have such healthy and powerful hatchlings!”  _

“ _ He would be able to protect you and your nest well!”  _ Hassaria was now up in Harry’s hair, curling up on top of his head and hissing happily into his ear. 

_ “Absolutely! And once you are mated he will never leave you! Some dominants do that. They mate with their submissive once, stay until the hatchings arrive, and then leave.”  _ Nagini sounded almost disgusted by that. She was a magical snake and magical snakes, unlike their non magical relatives, tended to mate for life. 

Harry bit his lip as the two females cooed and talked about how amazing Voldemort would be as a mate. Lash on the other hand was making gagging noises and saying that mating was gross. 

How could he make them understand that Voldemort wouldn’t make a good mate? Sure the man was powerful, there was no doubt about that, and Harry knew he was possessive of the things and people he considered ‘his’, but he was unemotional. Harry didn’t want to just be safe and protected and treated like a possession, he wanted to be loved and happy. 

There was no way Voldemort would ever make Harry feel loved. Maybe happy, after a while, but never loved. 

“ _ Mating is stupid. Hassis don’t listen to them. They’re being gross.”  _ Lash butted his head against Nagini to try and get her to stop rubbing her head against Harry. “ _ I bet he can’t even catch frogs like I can!”  _

A laugh burst from Harry and once one got out, more followed. He couldn’t stop laughing as Nagini argued with Lash about how Voldemort could in fact catch a frog if he actually wanted to. He laughed over how very protective Nagini was over her Master’s honor. 

“What’s got you laughing so cutely?” 

Harry’s lips snapped shut and his head swung around to stare in surprise at the person standing at the entrance of the garden. 

It was the werewolf that had initially chased him yesterday through the forest! The man that had taken his firebolt and had practically handed him over to Voldemort. Harry was pretty sure the wolf’s name was Greyback; at least that’s what the death eater had called him yesterday. 

Harry hissed at the man angrily and his eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at him. 

“Hey now. I’m not doing nothin’.” Greyback lifted his hands in a show of submission, but he was smirking at Harry and his posture clearly showed Harry that he wasn’t at all worried about the young naga. 

“Why are you here then?” Harry hissed out, forcing himself to stick to English. The sooner he had his answer, the sooner Greyback could leave and Harry wouldn’t have to deal with him. 

Greyback’s smirk deepened and he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I was just walking by when I heard the sweetest laughter. Color me surprised when I came over and found it was you I was hearing.” The man’s tongue flicked out and he licked his lips suggestively. “You sure clean up good. You were cute before, but now you’re just delicious.” 

Nagini was now hissing at Greyback, warning him that Harry was already claimed by her Master. As much as Harry wanted to argue with her that he was definitely NOT claimed, by anyone, his focus had to remain on the werewolf. 

“Why. Are. You. Here?” Harry ground out again, determined not to let himself be goaded into a fight. 

Greyback sighed dramatically and then pulled out one hand from his pocket. His fingers seemed to be wrapped around something as he held it up. “I got something of yours that my Lord thought you would like back.” 

With a quick finite from Greyback’s wand, what he was holding grew in size until he was holding a full sized broom. 

“My Firebolt!” Harry jerked forward to try and grab it, but stopped halfway between the gazebo and Greyback. 

Greyback was smirking again and his eyes were roaming along Harry’s tail and hips. “If you want it back, you’ll have to come get it.” He wiggled the broom around to try and entice Harry forward. “The wards here keep me from coming in.” 

So Narcissa had been right about how only members of the Malfoy family and their guests could get into this little garden. A flicker of relief at being told the truth settled in the back of his mind as he debated whether or not it was safe to get closer in order to get his broom back. 

Harry knew that if Greyback, or any of the death eaters, tried to do anything to him that Voldemort would probably kill them. Then again Voldemort had also warned Harry to be careful around his followers even if he did have his protection. 

Greyback left Harry feeling uncomfortable and even a little queasy. There was something about the way he leered at Harry and let his eyes wander that had Harry’s skin crawling. 

But Harry really did want his firebolt back. If anything ever happened, it would be nice to have his broom to make a fast getaway. 

“Just leave it there and go away.” Harry pointed to the ground at the entrance of the garden. He really didn’t want to get any closer to Greyback if he could help it. 

“Aw, you don’t trust me cutie?” Greyback pretended to pout, but it didn’t last long. Instead he just shrugged and leaned the broom up against the archway of the garden entrance. “Whatever. Don’t say I can blame ya. But,” he smirked and licked his lips again. “If you ever want to have a wild time, you know where to find me.” 

With that the large muscled werewolf turned and practically sauntered away. 

Harry shivered in disgust and he felt like scrubbing at his arms. He hoped that he would never have to talk to Greyback again. 

“ _ Disgusting wolf.”  _ Nagini hissed from where she was slithering along the ground. When Harry had gotten up she’d slipped to the ground and had taken a protective spot between herself and the werewolf. “ _ Always going after hatchlings and bothering those better than him. Do not worry Hassis! Master will never allow him to come near you. I will inform him of the wolf’s disgusting advances.”  _

_ “Thank you Nagini.”  _ Harry whispered as he tested the air for the wolf’s scent to make sure Greyback had actually gone. The man’s scent lingered, but it was already growing stale. After making triple sure that Greyback was gone, Harry went over to the entrance to the garden and grabbed his firebolt. He sighed in relief when he found nothing wrong with his precious broom. 

There was temptation there, as Harry held onto his broom. He could go and grab his bag and then start flying south again. He could make a break for the coast and just keep going to the continent. 

But…

His instincts weren’t all that pleased by the idea of leaving the first safe place Harry had truly found in his life. Even though he was surrounded by Death Eaters and Voldemort, for some reason Harry actually felt safe. 

Perhaps it was because there was another naga, an older naga, near Harry? Or maybe it was because Harry knew that Voldemort would keep his word and not harm him. 

All Harry had ever wanted in life was to be in a place where he would be safe and happy. Could he even be happy here?

“ _ Of course you can!”  _ Harry must have said that last part out loud because it was Nagini that answered him. “ _ Master will do everything he can to make you happy!” _

“ _ Sure Nagini…” _ How could Harry explain to her that to be happy, he needed love? He knew Voldemort would protect him and keep him safe, the man might even do whatever he could to make sure Harry was happy, but Harry knew he couldn’t feel love. 

Which brought Harry back to his earlier dilema. He couldn’t accept Voldemort’s courtship because he knew any sort of relationship with the man would be unemotional. And yet Harry couldn’t exactly tell him ‘no’ since he had no idea how Voldemort would react to the rejection. 

Maybe he wouldn’t hurt Harry, but he could make life more difficult. He could, in essence, keep Harry prisoner in a gilded cage. 

And since Harry had nowhere to go, other than his original plan to find a naga tribe, he would be stuck in the gilded cage for a long time. 

He could still hop on his broom and head for the continent, but with how possessive Voldemort was, Harry knew the man would follow him and drag him back. 

It was a mess. Everything was an absolute mess and Harry had no idea what to do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry the chapter is a few hours late. I had a dental appointment that ran longer than planned and then errands I had to do. 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 3rd of August!
> 
> Reminder that I try to reply to every single comment that is left!


	14. Chapter 14

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 14

It took awhile for Harry to convince his snake family that he wanted to be alone to think. Hassaria didn’t want to leave Harry, she was too worried about the sadness in his scent. Lash on the other hand didn’t want to leave because he was bored and wanted to go exploring with Harry like they used to do in the forest. 

Nagini was the one to finally convince the two other snakes to go off with her and to give Harry some space. 

With his firebolt in hand, Harry slowly made his way out of the garden and back into the manor. Thanks to his heightened sense of smell he was able to avoid any other person in his vicinity. A couple of times he ducked around a corner or hurried down a hallway whenever he sensed that someone was nearby. 

He made it back to his rooms without running into anyone, much to his relief. Harry leaned his back against the closed door to his rooms and sighed softly. The silence of his rooms was welcoming and Harry allowed his mind to just take a moment and stop thinking about anything. It’d been awhile since he had actually stopped thinking and worrying. 

After a few minutes of just staring blankly at the wall across from him, Harry finally worked up the strength to push away from the door and slither over to the bed. Even though it’d only been a few hours since he’d woken up, he felt bone weary and exhausted. 

So much had happened in just a few hours, in just a couple days, that Harry was amazed he wasn’t going mental. 

Harry stared at the bed for a moment before huffing and leaning forward to face plant into the soft surface of the comforter. He groaned softly as the plush surface of the bed molded a bit around his body as he just became dead weight on the mattress. It felt nice to not have to keep himself standing up using his tail muscles. 

He couldn’t stay idle laying on the bed for long though, despite how tired he was. Eventually Harry felt the need to do  _ something _ even if he had no idea what. His entire life had always been busy and full of chores or work. At the Dursley’s he’d always been cooking and cleaning. At Hogwarts if he wasn’t in class he was studying or going on life threatening adventures. Even after his inheritance in the forest he’d always been doing something; either learning how to be a naga or collecting food to eat. 

As nice as laying on the softest bed he’d ever felt was, Harry’s body and mind just wouldn’t let him be lazy for long. 

With a long and annoyed groan, Harry pushed himself up and rolled so that he was now sitting on the bed rather than laying on his stomach. 

The question was, what was Harry supposed to do with himself? He didn’t really feel up to exploring the manor, not with so many strangers running around who could possibly cause problems for him. He had no homework to do since he’d left it back at the cave in the forest, not that he was going to do it anyway since Harry wasn’t planning on going back to Hogwarts. Flying was out of the question since that required him to go back outside and he did NOT want to risk seeing Greyback again. 

So what was he supposed to do? 

His eyes wandered around his room as Harry tried to think of something he could do. The book Voldemort had given him earlier caught his attention and for a moment he chewed on his lip in thought. The book was about nagas and he really did want to learn more about his new race. But should he really read something that Voldemort had given him? 

Harry fought with himself mentally for a few minutes, his instincts insisting that he needed to trust the older naga while his self preservation and human mind tried to argue that anything from Voldemort could be cursed. 

In the end Harry relented, but not because of his instincts. He knew that the book wasn’t dangerous. It was just a book. If Voldemort really did want to hurt him, he would have done so in a much more direct way. 

He just...he hated reading. There was something about reading that always made his eyes hurt and his head ache. Sometimes his eyes skipped over words or would mix up the letters while reading and then Harry would miss important details and facts. Hermoine had always gotten so frustrated with him whenever he would give up studying halfway through his school work. 

And the book Voldemort had given him was just as big as some of his text books for school. 

Determination slowly filled Harry and he grabbed the book before he could talk himself out of it. He was tempted to stay on his bed to read, but Harry knew he would eventually get too comfortable and would probably fall asleep reading. So he got off his bed and slithered over to the plush couch and got comfortable. 

As soon as he stopped adjusting his tail which he draped across the couch and over the opposite armrest, there was a soft pop and a tray of finger food and a glass of juice appeared on the end table just within his reach. 

“Thanks.” Harry whispered into the empty room hoping that the house elf that had brought the food would hear him. He wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, he had eaten plenty of food during brunch, but it seemed like both Narcissa and Voldemort were determined to get him to eat more food. He wasn’t stupid, he’d noticed both of them eyeing his particularly slim waist and the rib bones that were clearly visible along his sides. 

Harry was practically skin and bones and he couldn’t blame that on his forest diet. In fact he’d gained a little bit of weight after his uncle had abandoned him. 

The aroma of the slightly cooked meat on the tray did smell really good though, and there were even a few cheese slices and little balls of fruit for Harry to try. Maybe eating a little while he read wouldn’t be too bad. 

Finally Harry cracked open the thick dark leather book in his hands and propped it up in his lap to read. 

At first Harry was actually intrigued by the book. The wording was a bit formal and academic so Harry was pretty sure it’d been written before he’d even been born. It was a little dry because of that, but it wasn’t like Harry was having a hard time understanding it. 

The beginning was dedicated entirely to the Great Mother and the birth of the first snake races. As it turned out, the naga race wasn’t the only serpentine race, it was just one of the more well known and documented races. For the most part the story he was reading matched up to what Hassaria had told him over the summer. There were a few extra facts about the protections the Great Mother had placed over her children as well as more information about her human lover. 

It wasn’t until Harry finished with the creation story that he realized two things.

One, he was having a very easy time reading and understanding what he was reading. And two, the book wasn’t written in English. 

When Harry unfocused his eyes and tried to look at the pages out of his peripheral vision, the letters and words turned into strange curves and squiggles. When he looked directly at the book pages, the squiggles instantly became understandable words to him. 

_ “Written parseltongue?” _ Harry whispered in shock as he flipped back to the very beginning and then to random pages to see if it was all written in that curvy script. It was. 

He had to wonder if the reason he wasn’t getting a headache from reading for so long was because the book was in a language other than English. Was it possible that English had always been the problem and not him? 

Curiosity filled Harry and he started skimming over paragraphs as quickly as he could to find something that might give him some answers. After a while he sighed and stopped his quick search and went back to where he had stopped before. He wouldn’t find the answer to why reading English hurt, while reading parseltongue didn’t by jumping from page to page; despite what he hoped. He would have to read through the book page by page to find his answers.

Finally he perked up when he found a section that had to do with inherited naga’s like him. 

_ “- as compared to those born to the naga race, those blessed children that inherit their naga blood and become full naga upon their 16th year of life are faced with different challenges in life. For the first 16 years of life, an inherited naga lives as a human. Although they look like humans, inherited naga still have the same instincts of an immature naga child. It is the use of these instincts that allow fully grown naga adults to find and protect young blessed children that have not yet gained their creature inheritance.  _

_ These instincts will often confuse young blessed children as they will often come into conflict with the thoughts, feelings, and morals of regular humans. The first of these instincts is the mistrust of strangers. Many human children do not have this instinct and will often befriend strangers either of their age or not, and they will often trust mature adult figures. Naga children still to inherit their creature status do not feel any sort of trust around strangers that are not other naga or of another serpent race.  _

_ It has been noted that humans often see this hesitancy and mistrust as antisocial behavior. Many mature human adults will find this behavior as odd and will try to correct it by having the uninherited child interact with others their age. Forcing a naga child into social situations with non naga strangers will often cause the naga child to withdraw and have moments of extreme anxiety and stress.  _

_ The instinct to not trust strangers is linked to the naga instinctual ability to sense danger. All naga children, inherited or naturally born, will instinctively know when danger is close. If a person or persons near them are of ill intent, the child will feel that and will either find a safe place to hide or find a trusted mature adult figure for protection. If the child can not do either, then their magic will often lash out in unpredictable ways to protect the child.”  _

Harry could recall being told that even though he’d grown up human he’d still had naga instincts. He remembered plenty of times when he’d instantly been on alert around strangers and had tried to hide from his family, whom he had always considered a danger to himself. Growing up he had always attributed those feelings towards how the Dursley’s had treated him, but now he knew it was more likely because of his naga instincts, but it was also probably from a combination of both.

_ “A common problem found within uninherited naga children has to do with language. There are thousands of recorded human languages throughout the world, but only one serpentine language. Naga children learn parseltongue quickly and efficiently, but often are slower in learning human languages. This problem has less to do with instinct and more to do with physical differences between humans and those with serpent ancestry.  _

_ Even those humans that do not inherit their full serpentine creature status have minute physical differences as compared to regular humans. One such difference is that of the tongue. Human tongues are thicker and are attached to the bottom of the mouth which keeps the tongue from being flexible. A naga’s tongue is detached further back in the mouth and is thinner and longer which is necessary for speaking parseltongue correctly.  _

_ Humans are able to learn parseltongue, but it has been noted they speak with a heavy accent and their words are often slow and muddled.  _

_ The part of the brain that is associated with languages, both written and spoken, is expanded and more active in a naga as compared to that of a regular human. Such information has been discovered thanks to the progress of medical magic and the mind arts.  _

_ Human eyes and naga eyes have a subtle difference as well. In humans the iris, the colored portion of the eye, is smaller than that of a naga so the majority of the eye is white. A naga’s eye looks similar to that of a human, but the iris is larger and takes up more space than the white of the eye. Humans often do not recognize this subtle difference, but are usually unconsciously unnerved by such a non human trait.  _

_ This increased iris size allows for naga to be able to take in more of their surroundings as compared to humans. This difference in iris size also allows naga to see more shades and colors that most humans do not see.  _

_ Although the iris is larger in a naga’s eye, the pupil is relatively the same size as that of a human, but because of the increased iris size the pupil looks smaller.” _

Harry was half tempted to get up and go to a mirror to take a look at his eyes. It was something he had never really thought about or noticed himself; after all he never really took the time to look at himself in mirrors. The Dursley’s had beaten into him the fact that he was an ugly freak so Harry had unconsciously avoided looking at himself growing up. 

_ “As a result of these differences between humans and naga, many uninherited naga have found that learning to speak, read, and write human languages to be difficult. Parseltongue and the written form, parselscript, are genetically inherited among those with serpentine ancestry so a naga child learns them naturally without much need for interference by mature adults. _

_ Many naga children have stated that reading and writing human languages leave them with head pain, eye strain, irritability, and have trouble focusing and understanding what it is they are reading.” _

“Well that answers that!” Harry snorted as he read that last bit. He was halfway through the chapter about inherited nagas already and he was getting so many of his questions answered! He’d been so confused and lost about what had happened to him on his birthday that he felt nothing but relief to finally have answers. Knowing that he wasn’t a freak because of everything he had felt and experienced growing up was...he couldn’t even find the words to describe how he felt. Harry just felt lighter. 

The rest of the chapter was mostly about what to expect during the months leading up to the 16th birthday, what usually happened during the creature inheritance, and the adjustments that a newly inherited naga will face following their birthday. 

It was nice to know that the exhaustion and detachment that Harry had felt the months leading up to his birthday had actually been because of his body and magic preparing for his inheritance rather than just the depression he had been hit with. Now that he thought about it, the depression had probably just made things worse. 

Harry was just starting the next chapter, which was about naga anatomy, when there was a light rapping on his bedroom door. 

He froze in place, one hand pausing in turning a page and the other reaching for a piece of fruit. Only a handful of people knew he was in the manor and of those only 4 knew where his room was. Of those 4, only 3 had actually been to see him. 

Half hoping that whoever was at the door would go away if he didn’t answer, Harry stayed quiet. After a couple minutes of him just staring at the door and practically holding his breath, the doorknob started to turn. 

It had to be either Narcissa or Voldemort. No one else had permission to enter his rooms! Heart hammering in his chest, Harry hoped beyond hope that it was just Narcissa coming to check on him or invite him to a late lunch. 

That hope vanished the moment the door opened to reveal the tall pale form of Voldemort. For a moment the older naga stood in the doorway and just watched Harry before sighing ever so softly and entering. Once the door was shut behind him, Voldemort shifted his trouser clad legs to his long white tail. 

Seeing that long muscled tail with the smooth white scales had Harry swallowing hard. He could feel warmth in his cheeks and he quickly looked away from Voldemort and back to the book in his lap. 

Harry hated how his instincts were messing with his hormones. Sure he was a teenage boy, but that did not mean he should feel any sort of attraction to the man that had tried to kill him multiple times in the past. 

Damn his instincts. 

Voldemort waited an extra minute or two for the younger naga to say or do something, only to sigh again and realize that the boy was too nervous. The boy kept glancing at him shyly before blushing a bit and looking away. Seeing Harry’s cheeks turning pink and his eyes widening in response to Voldemort’s presence gave the older naga a small bit of hope that maybe the boy would accept the offered courtship. 

Giving up on letting Harry make the first move, Voldemort made his way to the seat across from Harry and gracefully settled himself into a comfortable position. 

Again the two fell into silence with Harry darting shy looks over at Voldemort and Voldemort trying to be patient enough to let Harry start things off. Eventually though, Voldemort’s patience came to an end and he tried to start off at least a simple conversation. 

“ _ I am glad to see you reading the book I gave you.”  _

Harry stared down at the book in his lap. He had had a brief hope that Voldemort would give up on trying to talk to him and leave if Harry stayed quiet, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen. He placed a bookmark into place and closed the naga book with a soft thump. 

“ _ Yeah...it’s pretty interesting.”  _ His words were awkward and he rubbed at the back of his head nervously. After what they’d talked about that morning, Harry couldn’t quite meet Voldemort’s gaze. 

“ _ I found that particular book in Slytherin’s private library. There were quite a few detailing serpentine races, but that one was especially useful in my youth.”  _

Harry nodded and licked his lips nervously. Was he really supposed to just have a conversation with Voldemort of all people? The last couple days seemed so surreal for Harry. He almost wished Voldemort would try to attack him just so Harry could feel even remotely normal again. 

He licked his lips again, not noticing how Voldemort’s crimson gaze followed the movement of his tongue as it darted out to wet his pink lips. 

“ _ If you have any questions regarding the book, you can ask me. There are a few facts that can be rather confusing to someone newly inherited such as yourself.”  _

It was painfully obvious to Harry that Voldemort really was trying to put him at ease with casual conversation. The man really was trying to make things seem relaxed and normal, but if anything the entire situation was starting to make Harry angry. 

Why couldn’t Voldemort just give Harry some space!? After everything Harry had learned in the last 48 hours, he just wanted to be able to take a moment to process! It was like Voldemort was trying to butt into Harry’s space as much as possible and Harry couldn’t figure out why. It couldn’t just be about the whole courtship thing, Voldemort was being too calm and nice to be flirting. 

“ _ Why are you here?”  _ Harry could feel his composure breaking and he had to fight himself to keep from hissing. “ _ If this is about the courtship offer...I need more time to think.” _ Those words came out harshly and Harry clenched his jaw tight afterwards to stop himself from yelling. 

Oh how Harry wanted to yell at Voldemort. For months Harry had kept his temper under check. After his breakdown in Dumbledore’s office, Harry had wanted to never feel that much pain and anger again. Now though, all that suppressed anger was coming back up to the surface. The anger he had felt whenever the Dursley’s had belittled him and insulted Sirius, the anger at Dumbledore because the man had done NOTHING to help, the anger at his friends for going quiet again, as everyone pretended everything was alright and normal when Harry’s life was anything but that. 

Most of all was the anger he felt at Voldemort for suddenly changing how he treated Harry. It was as if all those years of hating each other had meant nothing; that all the pain and torment that Voldemort had caused had meant nothing and had been pointless. 

The man had targeted Harry when he’d been nothing but a baby and then he had gone and killed both of Harry’s parents. He knew it had been a time of war, people died during war, but to kill a couple in their home while trying to protect their baby? How could Harry not be angry over that?!

“ _ What do you want from me?!”  _ Harry’s temper broke and he yelled at Voldemort then, jumping up from the couch and standing as tall as he could so that he could look as imposing as possible. 

Despite the aggression and anger that Harry was showing, Voldemort almost looked sad. The man was calm and his hands were relaxed and resting in his lap. He waited as Harry grew more and more angry, his magic swirling around him, but he knew that Harry needed this moment. He needed to let go of his emotions and stop bottling everything up. 

Naga were emotional creatures, submissives even more so, despite the fact that Voldemort had tried to block his emotions for years. He kept his emotions stable by meditating and letting out his frustrations during dueling training. Back when he’d been Harry’s age, his emotions had been all over the place and only his Slytherin mask had kept them in check. 

Harry had not had the time to learn how to meditate properly nor did he know just how strong a naga’s emotions could be, and Voldemort knew that. 

Just as Voldemort thought would happen, when he did not respond to Harry’s anger, the boy became confused and the anger slowly vanished. 

Unshed tears shimmered in Harry’s eyes as he sat back down on the couch with a heavy thump. “ _ What do you want from me?” _ This time his words were soft and laced with emotional pain. 

It was almost heart wrenching for Voldemort to witness his once nemesis becoming so despondent. Harry looked so much younger with his shoulders hunched forward and his head hanging down. His hair fell forward over his shoulders to form a midnight curtain around the boy’s face. 

“ _ All I want,” _ Voldemort kept his words soft and slow so as not to upset the boy further “ _ is for you to be happy, healthy, and safe.”  _ With those words said, Voldemort reached into the inner pocket of the black silk robes he was wearing. When he pulled his hand free, a small bottle of a clear liquid was held carefully between his fingers. “ _ I told you this morning that I would take Veritaserum to prove myself and my words to you. You did not immediately take up my offer.” _

As Harry watched, his emerald green eyes shimmering with tears and confusion, Voldemort unstoppered the tiny glass bottle and then tilted his head back. 

Before Harry could even think to stop the man, three drops of that clear innocent looking liquid fell onto Voldemort’s tongue. The man’s red eyes glazed over and he slumped ever so slightly in his seat. 

“ _ Why-” _ Harry started to ask, befuddled by this sudden turn of events. 

“ _ Because you need the truth and you need proof.”  _ Voldemort’s words were strong, but rather monotone as he spoke. “ _ If this is the only way to give you what you need, then so be it. I will always do what I must to protect you.” _

For what felt like an eternity, but was really just a couple short minutes, Harry just stared at Voldemort in open shock. The older naga had taken the most powerful truth serum in the world, and he had done it for Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter 14 is up! Next time: Voldemort can't fight off the effects of truth serum, but he is at least strong enough to give more than 'yes' or 'no' answers. Harry learns some life changing truths and Draco has a heart attack when Voldemort summons him for a chat. 
> 
> Next chapter will be up Monday the 10th of August. See you guys then!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a turbulent last few days, Harry ends up being confronted by a weirdly calm Voldemort. It hasn't even been a full day since Voldemort had literally dropped tons of life changing information onto Harry and had then proceeded to ask to court him. All Harry wants is some time to himself to think, and yet here was the Dark Lord once more. Much to his surprise, Voldemort has veritaserum and takes it before Harry can react.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being several hours late guys. Husband had a doctors appointment and seeing as how I was his designated driver, I had to wait for it to get done. It lasted over 3 hours. Then I had to run home and cook dinner. But! Here's chapter 15!

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 15

“ _What am I supposed to ask?”_ Harry’s stunned words filled the void after a couple minutes of them just staring at each other. 

“ _Anything you want.”_

It was exactly what Harry was expecting Voldemort to say, but it still left him at a loss. He knew there were dozens of things he wanted to ask Voldemort, things that he’d been dying to know for years, but now that the older naga was putting him on the spot the questions just wouldn’t come. 

“ _Ask whatever is on your mind. More questions will come in time.”_

Voldemort’s gaze remained glazed over, but his red eyes never left Harry. Being the focus of Voldemort’s attention had Harry shifting around nervously on the couch. Instead of stretching out his tail as he had before, Harry coiled it under and around himself. He ended up hugging a part of it to his chest for comfort. 

“ _I can ask anything I want?”_

_“Anything. Even I can not fight off the effects of veritaserum.”_

Somehow Harry just knew Voldemort was telling the truth. He’d learned last year that veritaserum was definitely not something to mess around with; it could even get information out of someone that had signed a magically binding contract. It was just too potent. 

“ _So...what if I wanted to leave? Would you let me?”_ Harry asked slowly. It was a legitimate concern for him; he didn’t want to be locked away and trapped even if it was ‘for his own good’. That’s why Dumbledore had kept sending him back to the Dursley’s and Harry refused to ever let himself be trapped someplace he didn’t want to be ever again. 

Voldemort scowled slightly, the first sign of emotion after he’d taken the truth serum. “ _If that’s what you want, yes. But only after I am able to ensure your safety. I would need to know where you were going and I would like to assign a protector to you.”_

Harry could understand that much at least. He was the man’s horcrux, he had a portion of his very soul inside of him. If Harry had been in his place, he’d be rather protective of his soul as well. Then again Harry could never imagine splitting his soul into pieces and separating them out anyway. 

“ _Before I was chased here,”_ Harry glared at Voldemort when the man’s lips quirked ever so slightly into a small smile, “ _I was heading for the continent. I wanted to find a naga tribe. Would you let me go to one?”_

That small smile vanished almost instantly and Voldemort scowled once more. “ _I would go with you. Even if we do not court, you are under MY protection. I will not allow the naga tribes to trick you into any agreements that you do not understand.”_

Harry frowned, his nose wrinkling cutely as he did so. “ _I’m not an idiot. I know not to agree to things right off the bat.”_

_“It has nothing to do with your intelligence.”_ He didn’t need the influence of the veritaserum to explain most of this to Harry. Voldemort would have told Harry all of this anyway, but at least now the boy would believe him. “ _You are a submissive naga, new blood, and the naga tribes are small in number. Most tribes are related to each other, even if it’s distant. A new submissive such as yourself would bring fresh blood into the family lines. Most tribes would do anything to convince you to either be adopted into their tribe or mate with one of their dominants. They would make all sorts of promises and offers just to convince you to stay.”_

Blinking in shock, Harry could only stare at Voldemort as he gave that explanation. Sure he’d had an inkling about how small the naga population was, but he hadn’t actually thought about how it would affect his place in the serpent society. 

“ _Even if you were a dominant, the naga tribes would do all they could to convince you to stay.”_ Voldemort sneered a bit at his own memories of when he’d travelled from tribe to tribe to learn all he could about his creature race. “ _Some tribes are not above using magic to influence you.”_

_“And you wouldn’t?”_ Harry snapped suddenly, his temper getting the best of him in that moment. 

It took a moment or two for Voldemort to answer, as if he didn’t know himself if he would or not. 

_“I did in the past, but I would never do so now.”_

Before his mind could even bring up all the moments Voldemort had used his magic to trick Harry or use him, Harry forced himself to think of something else. He didn’t want to think about what happened at the end of the last school term, what he had lost, because if he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from getting angry at Voldemort. Harry already had enough trouble with his temper, he didn’t need to let it get out of hand at the moment when he had the chance to get any answer he wanted out of the man.

“ _So if I told you I never wanted you to court me? That I never wanted a relationship with you?”_ Harry wanted to know for sure that Voldemort wouldn’t lose control and do something to him if he turned down the older naga’s advances. 

“ _It is...difficult to say.”_ Voldemort admitted slowly. “ _My instincts will insist I continue to try to prove myself to you, but if you truly reject me and my offer then I will stand aside and act only as a protector.”_

_“But you wouldn’t use magic to get me to be with you?”_

_“No!”_ Even with the veritaserum dulling Voldemort’s emotions, he was practically raging and snarling when Harry suggested such a thing. He still seethed a bit even as the truth serum calmed him back down. That much rage had Harry curling up a bit, frightened by the display that broke through the truth serum daze. “ _No. I would never, and I mean NEVER-”_ Voldemort’s words were so hissed they were almost difficult to understand. “ _Force a person to be intimate in such a way._

_I have done many things in my life that people claim to be horrid and despicable, but there are lines even I will not cross.”_ Voldemort fumed and again his anger seemed to be over powering the truth serum. “ _Have I used magic to control people? Yes. Have I used magic to get what I want from people? Of course. But to use magic to create emotions that would never exist, to force another into a relationship that would fall apart the moment magic was taken away? No. Magically induced love is not love. It’s not even an imitation of affection; it’s emptiness. Nothingness. It is rape and I will never condone rape.”_

There was something there, buried in Voldemort’s words and his emotional rant that Harry picked up on. Something had happened in the older naga’s life and it had left a scar so deep that it had changed Voldemort. If a Dark Lord felt so strongly about it, a Dark Lord that had used the foulest and darkest of magics, tortured enemies and followers alike, and murdered indiscriminately, then something had to have happened. 

Underneath the anger that Harry could see, was something that he didn’t quite recognize at first. It was something that he had only ever seen in the mirror and when he’d fallen into Snape’s pensieve. 

Pain. 

Harry could see pain hiding under the anger that filled Voldemort’s eyes so completely. 

For several long minutes, Voldemort and Harry sat across from each other in silence. In the quiet between them, Voldemort was able to calm down and Harry felt himself relax as he felt himself trusting Voldemort just a little bit more. 

The man that had been trying to kill him since he was a baby, had limits. He wasn’t the absolute monster that everyone had painted him as. He had done horrible things, but so had many other people throughout history. 

Harry himself had killed Quirrell even if it had been in self defense. He had dreamed of torturing Bellatrix because of what she had done to Sirius. Harry had raged at Dumbledore and had wished him harm in his anger. 

It wasn’t as bad as what Voldemort had done, but Harry came to an understanding that a person could do both good things as well as evil deeds. The world wasn’t black or white, good or evil; it was filled with people that had their own sense of morals and limits of what they would and would not do. 

And if a person had limits, then they had the capacity to feel remorse for the bad things they had done.

“ _Do you regret it?”_ Harry’s voice came out as a soft croak as he fought to keep himself from crying. The pain he had seen in Voldemort brought up his own pain he had felt throughout the years of abuse with the Dursley’s. 

The question must have been too broad for the veritaserum to pull the truth out of Voldemort so the man just frowned at Harry. “ _I have done many things Harry...you will need to be more specific.”_

Harry sucked in a shaky breath and tilted his head down. His hands were gripped into fists in his lap as he worked up his courage. 

“ _Any of it? All the horrible things you’ve done…”_

_“Oh.”_ That small word came out almost like a quiet gasp from Voldemort. “ _There are some things I regret. There were many deaths that could have, should have been avoided. I have lost faithful followers and...friends...due to my choices._

_But, during war one learns not to dwell on the things that have happened. Despite magic being able to do wonders, one cannot change the past without taking the risk of making things worse.”_

“ _And my parents? Do you regret killing them?”_ Even as he asked, Harry knew what the answer was going to be. He’d come to terms with the fact that his parents had died due to the war. His parents could have left the country the second they had found out about the prophecy. They could have done so many other things, and yet they had stayed. 

_“No.”_ Voldemort said almost emotionlessly. “ _I regret not taking a moment to think straight, to realize that the prophecy could mean many things, but I do not regret killing them.”_ He looked away from Harry and into the fire. “ _I do regret the damage their deaths have caused. Both your mother and father were strong and could have made a difference in our world. I regret that I was unable to think of a better option other than killing them.”_

_“But you did.”_ Harry whispered weakly. He winced when Voldemort’s red eyes snapped back to him. “ _Or at least you tried. I remember…”_

How? How could the boy remember such a thing? He’d been nothing but a babe when Voldemort had attacked his family. The earliest memory Voldemort himself had was of the matron at the orphanage disciplining him with a cane when he’d been 4 years old. He had vague feelings from before that, of being cold and alone, but nothing concrete. 

“ _The dementors.”_ Whispered Harry, his eyes downcast on his clenching hands. “ _When they are close I...I hear my mother...and I hear you.”_ He breathed in shakily and closed his eyes to keep from crying. “ _You told her to stand aside three times. You gave her a chance, you tried to spare her when you could have just killed her.”_

_“She loved you so much that she refused to stand aside.”_ Voldemort’s voice was soft as well as he spoke. His own hands twitched with the need to reach out and comfort the boy across from him. 

_“Could you ever love me?”_ The question came from Harry so quickly that Voldemort couldn’t help but reel back in surprise. “ _Dumbledore,”_ Harry’s throat constricted for a moment and the sadness he felt at the loss of his mother changed to that of betrayal as he thought about his old headmaster “ _Dumbledore claimed that you could never feel love.”_

When no answer came from Voldemort, Harry opened his eyes and chanced a peak at him. The look Voldemort was giving him was one Harry didn’t understand at all. He looked to be confused and...insulted? 

“ _That old fool sees only what he wants to see and makes up his own beliefs for everything else.”_ Voldemort looked like he wanted to curse something. “ _Dumbledore saw in me an emotionless, charismatic, manipulative boy. He believed me to be a thief and a bully when he had first met me at 11 years old. He saw weakness in me. During my 7 years at Hogwarts I worked hard to never again show him any sort of weakness. To him, that made me look emotionless, when in reality those closest to me have always told me that my emotions could burn the very sun._

_It is true that I have never loved anyone romantically, but that does not mean I cannot feel love.”_ Voldemort took a deep breath and glared at the fireplace so that he would not direct any more of his anger at Harry. “ _I cared very much for my companions and friends during and following school. Is that not a form of love? Platonic love of companionship?”_

Harry found himself nodding slowly. He had loved his own friends dearly and had felt devastated when they had abandoned him. 

“ _Just because I have not found someone to deeply and truly love, does not mean I am incapable of such an emotion. It just means I have not yet had the chance or experience.”_

Slowly, Voldemort turned his head until his own crimson gaze was locked with the bright emerald of Harry Potter across from him. The young man looked so confused and upset, unshed tears glistening in his eyes. To Voldemort, Harry looked to be vulnerable to the world; that a single thrown stone would shatter him irreparably. 

“ _Given the chance,”_ The veritaserum in Voldemort was still strong enough to make sure his words continued on, to give Harry the answer to his question. “ _Given time...I believe I could love you.”_

_“But you don’t know…”_

_“Not for sure. Love is something I know very little about.”_

The last couple days had left Harry in such an emotional state that he was finding it rather dizzying and confusing whenever his emotions jumped from anger to sadness. So much turmoil for him was leaving Harry feeling exhausted. 

“ _Why me then?”_ Harry’s head tilted back to slump against the back of the couch so he could stare up at the ceiling. “ _I know I’m a naga now, and I’m this horcrux thing, but why court me when you don’t know if you could love me? If it is to protect me, you could just...just lock me away somewhere to keep me safe. So why court me?”_

Voldemort didn’t know quite how to answer at first. Sure his instincts were pushing at him to court the younger submissive. The boy was strong, beautiful, and had a connection to Voldemort that no one else could ever have. He knew though that there were other forces at work other than just his instincts. 

“ _I believe fate has been trying to push us together for one reason or another, whether as enemies or as something else. I made a mistake when I attacked you and your family, a mistake I can not take back.”_ The veritaserum was starting to wear off, Voldemort could feel it, so he quickly forced himself to finish what he had started.   
  


Harry needed the truth, he deserved the truth after everything Voldemort had put him through. “ _Up until now we have been enemies and I did not believe we would ever be anything but enemies. Now that we are not, and I know just what a treasure you are, I want to do whatever I can to make up for my past and what I have done to wrong you.”_

The truth serum was completely worn off by then and Voldemort sucked in a deep breath only to let it out slowly. For most people veritaserum removed almost all emotions and made it difficult to answer questions that weren’t straight forward. Although it still affected him, Voldemort at least was able to give more thorough answers and was able to actually show the emotions associated with them. 

_“If you decide to refuse my offer of courtship, I will understand even if it will be difficult to stand aside. I promise you though that for the rest of your life you may ask anything of me and, if it is within my power, I will ensure you are given what you want.”_

Sensing that Harry was close to breaking down, Voldemort pushed himself up out of his seat. His long white tail uncoiled from where it had wrapped around itself. He couldn’t help but smirk ever so slightly when Harry’s head came back up and he caught the boy staring at the well muscled appendage. 

_“I would take more veritaserum for you, but there needs to be at least 8 hours between each full dose.”_

Harry didn’t bother to stop staring at Voldemort’s tail. In all honesty he wasn’t even looking at the white scales, his eyes were just lingering there while he fought to keep himself from crying. He felt emotionally overloaded and just wanted to be left alone!

Why couldn’t people just give him some space to think?!

“ _I think I would like some time alone for awhile.”_ The words came out broken and a bit higher than Harry would have liked. He was relieved when Voldemort didn’t seem to notice, or at least didn’t comment on Harry’s emotionally tortured state. 

Voldemort nodded and quickly turned to leave. He paused, for a moment, in the doorway to glance back at Harry. 

The boy had turned in his seat so that his back was to Voldemort. With his back turned, Voldemort was able to see how his form was hunched forward and how Harry’s shoulders were shaking. 

There was an urge to turn back into the room, an urge to return to Harry to comfort him, but Voldemort knew his sympathy would only push the younger naga further away from him. As much as Voldemort wanted to be the one Harry turned to for comfort, he knew Harry was not ready to come to that decision yet. 

So Voldemort turned away from Harry and left the boy’s rooms. The door shut behind him with a soft click and Voldemort could feel the wards of the room lock into place. Only he, Narcissa, and Lucius would be able to enter the room without Harry’s approval. 

“Tippsy.”

Instantly Voldemort’s personal house elf was before him and bowing to him respectfully. 

“Harry is not to be disturbed for the rest of the day, have his evening meal delivered quietly. In the morning, check to see if he wants to stay in his room for breakfast. If so, make sure Narcisa knows so he may have some peace and quiet.” 

“Of course Master Dark Lord sir.” Tippsy bowed again and vanished with a snap of her fingers. 

There wasn’t much Voldemort could do about Harry’s snakes, but at least he could ensure that no humans would interrupt the boy’s need for space. Perhaps he could get Nagini to convince Hassaria and Lash to spend more time with her; at least for the evening. 

At least the boy hadn’t outright rejected his courtship proposal, that was something at least. Voldemort knew Harry would need time to think things over, especially if the boy’s instincts were anything like his own. 

His instincts were pushing at him to prove himself to Harry. He had to give the boy the best gift he could to prove just how good of a mate he could be. He needed to show Harry that no other dominant would be able to care for him the way Voldemort could. 

Any gift he gave Harry would have to show off just how powerful, strong, attentive, caring, and well off Voldemort was. Until such a time that the younger naga actually rejected Voldemort’s courtship offer, he would continue to woo the boy with gifts and attention. 

So Voldemort had to make sure that his first gift to Harry was one that the boy would never forget and that it was something that the boy would never want to turn down. It had to be something that would show not only how powerful Voldemort was, but that he actually cared about Harry’s well being. 

Voldemort was so lost in his thoughts and instincts that he failed to notice that he had yet to revert his tail back to his human legs. He didn’t even notice that he was still in his naga form even when he arrived at his private study and curled himself onto the lounge that was situated in front of his own fire. 

What sorts of things did Harry even like? Voldemort knew very little about Harry other than what he had learned through the few interactions with the boy and from what he had learned through others. 

He knew that Harry had a love of flying that was extremely contradictory to the instincts of most naga. Voldemort himself didn’t have a fear of flying, but he did prefer to keep his tail safely on the ground. The boy wasn’t the best student, but he also wasn’t the worst. Voldemort knew from Snape’s rants that the boy was horrible at potions and was more likely to blow things up than actually finish a potion. From his own experience he knew that Harry was very talented in Defense. 

That sort of information wasn’t very helpful for Voldemort though. He wasn’t going to give Harry such an impersonal gift as a broom for the first courtship gift. Books were right out of the question as well. 

No, Voldemort wanted his first gift to Harry to be something meaningful. He just had no idea what it should be. 

He could kidnap the boy’s old friends and give them to Harry as a peace offering. Let the boy do whatever he wanted to the traitors. Something told him that Harry would not appreciate the kidnapping though. 

Perhaps he should speak to the Malfoy boy? He and Harry were in the same year at Hogwarts; surely the Malfoy brat knew things about Harry that other people did not? 

As much as Voldemort wanted to give Harry his first courtship gift, to help sway him towards accepting the proposal, he had to wonder if he should wait. Harry barely understood wizarding courtships and he probably hadn’t gotten to the chapter on naga courtships yet in the book Voldemort had given him. He might interpret the first gift incorrectly. 

Voldemort groaned softly and leaned his head back against his seat, his eyes closing in irritation. Naga courtships were similar, and yet extremely different from wizarding ones. Where wizards waited to give gifts until after the courtship was officially started, naga didn’t wait. Dominant nagas started giving gifts the moment they decided to court a submissive. They had to as dominants greatly outnumbered submissives so a dominant had to quickly and efficiently show the submissive why they were better than any other. 

Sure Voldemort didn’t have any competition for Harry’s attention, not yet at least, but his instincts were still pushing for him to woo Harry. 

So what would his first gift to Harry be? It couldn’t be something over the top as Harry would probably make assumptions that Voldemort did not want him to make. And yet the gift couldn’t be something as simple and impersonal as a book. It had to be something that Harry would appreciate, but wouldn’t feel pressured into agreeing to the courtship. 

Why did wooing a submissive have to be so complicated? 

“Tippsy.” 

In less than a heartbeat his personal house elf popped quietly into the room with him. 

“Send for the Malfoy Heir. I need to speak with him.” 

“Right away Master Dark Lord sir.” After a small curtsy, Tippsy was gone with another soft pop.

First thing was first, Voldemort needed to learn everything he could about Harry. The more he knew about the younger naga, the easier it would be to choose a first gift. He had a few ideas as to future gifts, but they would have to wait until after Harry agreed to the courtship. 

After a bit of waiting and thinking, there was a hesitant knock on Voldemort’s study door. With a wave of his hand, the door opened and the Malfoy heir hesitantly entered. 

“Thank you for coming so quickly Draco.” Voldemort motioned for the blond teen to take a seat not too far from him. “I had a few questions I wanted answered and thought that you would be the best to ask.”

Draco swallowed nervously as he spotted Voldemort’s long white tail. Very few people had actually ever seen it, and the sight of it left Draco scared. Usually the Dark Lord didn’t switch to his tail unless he was absurdly angry. He quickly took a seat, his back ramrod straight as he waited for the Dark Lord to ask his questions. 

“No need to be so nervous young Malfoy. You are not in any trouble.” Voldemort grinned ever so slightly at the boy’s fear. There was just something ever so sweet about the boy’s fear. “What can you tell me about Harry Potter?” 

The fear that Draco was giving off increased ten fold. 

“Calm yourself boy. I know you know who Hassis really is. I am not angry that you did not inform me right away, nor am I angry that you know.” Now the fear that the boy was giving off was starting to irritate Voldemort instead of entertain him. “The sooner you tell me everything you know about Potter, the sooner you can leave.”

Draco was hesitant to speak, he didn’t want to say anything that would upset his Lord, but he also knew that if he tried to lie then the Dark Lord would instantly know. 

“What do you want to know my Lord?” 

Voldemort felt like he wanted to strangle the boy. He wanted to know everything about Harry! What was so hard to understand about that?! “His likes and dislikes, any hobbies he might have, anything you’ve observed about him.”

“Well...he’s extremely loyal to his friends.” Draco started off slowly. That was the first thing that came to mind. It had always irked him that Potter had never taken his hand in friendship, instead choosing that backstabbing, blood traitor, idiot Weasley. At least the mudblood Granger was intelligent, if annoying. 

“He’s loyal to just about anyone and anything that shows him even an ounce of attention.” Draco amended quickly when Voldemort glared at him. “That owl of his is always showing up at breakfast even if she doesn’t have a letter for him. I’ve seen him fly around on his broom with that owl. That owl is also very loyal to Potter as well.” 

It was extremely hard to miss the white snowy owl. Draco didn’t think anyone else in the school had one. 

Speaking of the owl, Voldemort hadn’t seen it anywhere in the forest after Harry had been brought to the manor. Perhaps he should send someone out to find it. 

“Continue.” 

“Well...he’s unnaturally good at flying and he has the best DADA scores in our year.” That little fact had always been an annoyance to Draco seeing as how he’d been fighting so hard to get the top scores. Most of the time it was between him and Granger, but neither of them seemed to ever beat Potter for DADA. 

“Yes, yes, everyone knows that.” Voldemort was starting to wonder if perhaps the Malfoy boy truly didn’t know much more about Harry than anyone else did. 

Draco swallowed nervously and quickly tried to remember anything else he had observed about Potter. “When he’s not wearing his school uniform, he’s almost always wearing either rags or handmade sweaters. Even on the weekends he’s almost always wearing his school pants.” 

Now that was an interesting piece of information, something that Voldemort had to think about. Recalling the time he spent on the back of Quirrell’s head, even he had noticed how Harry’s wardrobe had been woefully inadequate. He hadn’t thought much about it then, too focused on finding the stone, but he had to wonder about the boy’s homelife. 

Perhaps he needed to bring in Snape and get some information about Harry from him as well. If anyone knew anything about the boy’s homelife, it would be Snape. 

“He doesn’t...really have any hobbies. Other than quidditch, Potter never joined any clubs or study groups. Anything he did for fun, he did with his friends. Usually they just hung out together.” 

The two sat silently for a few minutes before Draco could come up with anything else. “I believe he has a sweet tooth, especially for treacle tart. He almost always eats it at dinner.”

Even with the limited information that Malfoy had given him, Voldemort still had more to work with now than he did before. At least he had a few ideas now as to what sorts of gifts he could give Harry without completely screwing up the courtship. 

“You have my thanks, heir Malfoy, you may leave. But, if you think of anything else let me know.” Voldemort waved towards the door and he could only chuckle as the boy practically raced out of the room after giving him a respectable bow. 

For several hours after his conversation with the Malfoy boy, Voldemort sat staring at the fire gently crackling in his study. He had a few ideas as to what to give Harry as courtship gifts, but he still felt like he was missing a great deal of information on the boy. As much as he wanted to go and speak with the young naga, to learn more about him and get to know him, Voldemort knew Harry would need to make the next move. 

If Voldemort rushed things at this point, he would only be pushing Harry away. As loathe as he was to admit it, he was going to have to be patient. 

And patience had never been one of Voldemort’s virtues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel for Harry, I really do. That mind freeze when someone just randomly gets in your face and goes "ask me anything!" gets me every time. And honestly Harry isn't really known for coming up with stuff on the spot. But at least he asks the important things!
> 
> Now we all get to think about what sort of gift Voldemort is going to get Harry! :D I look forward to your guesses and I will respond to each one. And who knows, maybe the best ideas will make it into future chapters!
> 
> Next update will be Monday the 17th of August. See you guys then!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an emotional breakdown the day before, caused by Voldemort taking Veritaserum and answering Harry's questions truthfully, Harry has a lot to think about. He's rightfully conflicted over the decision of being courted by Voldemort and he doesn't even know if he should say yes. Would saying yes mean turning his back on his parents sacrifice and the love and affection Sirius had given him? Harry wanted to be happy, but he didn't want to feel guilty at the same time. 
> 
> He takes the day to spend time by himself and with his snake family, thinking things through and finally reading more from the naga book. No matter what his decision would be, he really did need to know more about his new race and what to expect in the future.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 16

Harry waited until he was sure the door to his rooms had been shut and Voldemort had left before he did anything. Even then he waited for a few minutes just to make sure no one would come barging in. 

After a few minutes of pure silence, the first sob slipped past Harry’s lips. Once the first tear fell down his cheek, there was no holding back the tidal wave of emotions. 

His sobbing grew louder and soon enough Harry’s shoulders were shaking with his uncontrolled sobs. He felt so emotionally overwhelmed that he didn’t even know why he was crying. Sure Harry had plenty of reason to be upset, but at that precise moment he couldn’t even figure out what had caused his breakdown. 

It felt like everything that had been happening to him in the last few months was suddenly just piling up onto him and drowning him. It wasn’t just the stress from the last few months, it felt like all the pain from his entire life was just coming back to him and forcing him to relieve every horrifying moment. 

Harry couldn’t even remember a single year where his life wasn’t miserable. He’d never had a nice, quiet, happy moment at the Dursleys. Even his early schooling had been riddled with ridicule and disappointment. Harry had hoped his life in the magical world would be better, and yet year after year his life had just been put into more and more danger. 

He couldn’t even put all of the blame on Voldemort. It was as if years of blinders had been suddenly removed and he could remember each and every time something bad had happened in his life!

After years and years of endless pain and suffering, Harry finally had a moment to process everything. 

And it was overwhelming. 

Finally he had a moment alone to mourn not only the loss of Sirius, but also the loss of any sort of happy childhood that he might have had. He cried and sobbed as he allowed himself to be upset over the loss of his friendships with Ron and Hermoine. 

It felt like hours before Harry was able to stop crying. By then his throat had become sore, his eyes were swollen and his body felt weak from the heart wracking sobs. Even though he felt exhausted, the sorrow he had felt was turning to rage. 

How could he have been so stupid for so long in his life? Why hadn’t he asked someone for help growing up? Now that he thought about it, there had been a few adults in the neighborhood that had asked him now and then if he was alright or needed help. Why hadn’t he admitted to his teachers growing up that the bruises weren’t because of him being clumsy when they had asked? Someone from child services had even been called in once, but with him saying he was fine and his aunt and uncle claiming him to be clumsy, nothing had been done. 

Why hadn’t he realized that something was wrong with the magical world during his first year?! A mountain troll shouldn’t have been able to get into Hogwarts, that stupid trap set up to catch Voldemort in his first year had been easy enough for three first years to handle it! How could he have been so stupid not to have realized that?

All the pain Harry had suffered over the years had been needless! He should have just run away with Sirius back in 3rd year. 

The thought of Sirius brought fresh tears to Harry’s eyes and he angrily wiped them away. 

_ “My Hassis?”  _

“ _ Mum!”  _ Even though he had wanted to be left alone for a while, the moment his snake mother was there all he wanted was to hold her close. 

The older adder quickly wrapped herself around Harry’s shoulder and began hissing soothing words to him. The rage Harry had felt petered out and was replaced by exhausted sadness. He sniffled softly and curled up on his sofa with Hassaria around his shoulders. 

Lash joined them after a while, curling up in Harry’s lap and quickly falling asleep from the warmth of the fire in the fireplace. Nagini came to check on them around dinner time, but she was only there to tell Harry that if he wanted to stay in his rooms for the evening meal, he could. 

Harry chose to stay in his rooms. 

Dinner consisted of various meats and fruits, along with a small selection of cheese and even a couple small bite size pastries for Harry to try. 

With a full stomach, the exhaustion Harry had been feeling since his emotional breakdown came back. He didn’t even have the energy to make it back to his bed. Instead Harry just curled up into a more comfortable position on the couch and slipped into an exhausted slumber. 

* * *

Waking up was a pain and a half. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why his mouth felt like cotton had been shoved into it or why his eyes felt itchy and raw. Harry could clearly remember everything that had happened the day before, from Voldemort using veritaserum to Harry’s emotional breakdown. 

At least he was thinking with a clearer head. Honestly though, after finally letting out all the pain he had been feeling for so long, Harry actually felt...lighter. He didn’t feel ‘better’, at least not in a definitive way, but he didn’t feel like he needed to cry his heart out anymore. 

He was still depressed about Sirius and everything else that had been happening to him, but Harry felt like he could actually work through it. Maybe that’s what he had needed? To just have an actual break down and let himself cry for a while. 

But he had to wonder why he had broken down so spectacularly yesterday. Why had all of his emotions just suddenly overwhelmed him to the point of crying his heart out? 

“ _ My Hassis?” _ Hassaria had awoken a couple hours ago, but had chosen to stay with her hatchling rather than go out with Nagini and Lash. “ _ You still smell of sadness. Please talk to me? What can I do for you my Hassis?” _ She cooed and rubbed her snout against Harry’s cheek lovingly until she heard him giggle ever so softly. 

“ _ I just...I don’t know. Yesterday Voldemort came and-” _

_ “The other blessed one upset you? I will bite him and eat his innards!”  _ Hassaria reared up and hissed angrily into the air above Harry’s head. “ _ He will not come near you again my Hassis! I will not allow him to upset you again!” _

_ “Mum! No! He just wanted to talk to me.”  _ Harry was actually quite amused by his snake mother’s protectiveness. He had no doubt that she would do as promised, but the last thing he needed was for her to try and harm the Dark Lord and get hurt in the process. Still, the knowledge that she was instantly protective of him even when she didn’t have all the information, warmed something in Harry’s heart. 

“ _ He took veritaserum, a truth potion, and had me ask him questions. I learned some things that...that I guess overwhelmed me afterwards.”  _ At least that’s what Harry could conclude had happened. What other explanation did he have for his sudden break down after months of holding it all in? 

_ “He...he said I didn’t have to accept his courtship offer and if I didn’t, he would respect my wishes.”  _ Just the sheer fact that Harry was being given a choice as monumental as this was a bit overwhelming. Harry swallowed thickly and then took in a few deep breaths. “ _ I thought a man like him could never feel love, but he said...he said he could.” _

Harry chewed on his bottom lip in thought. A part of him, a surprisingly large part of him, wanted to give the older naga a chance to prove himself. He’d been so afraid of ending up in a loveless relationship that he’d been planning on telling Voldemort no. Now that he knew there was a chance that Voldemort might actually be able to love him one day? He didn’t quite know how to handle that. Everything felt like it was moving too quickly for Harry to be able to make any sort of decision.

“ _ Finding out that he might be able to love me one day...I guess it confused me? For years I’d been told that he could never feel love, and a lot of the choices I’ve been making over the years had been because of that fact. But now…” _ It was hard for Harry to put his thoughts into words, but he was trying. He needed his mother to understand why he was so upset, and he needed to understand it for himself. 

Harry sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he organized his thoughts. “ _ All I could think about was the fact that if I had known the truth, about Voldemort, maybe I would have done things differently? Maybe I wouldn’t have had to be alone for so long. Maybe Sirius…”  _ Harry quickly rubbed his hand across his eyes to keep from crying again. 

“ _ Up until the last couple days, no one had ever explained to me why we were fighting with the Dark Lord. They only ever said Purebloods wanted to kill all the muggleborns. After what Narcissa, Lady Malfoy, told me I don’t know what to believe.” _

Unlike almost every other adult in his life, Lady Malfoy had actually taken the time to explain things to him, to tell him more about the war and why so many people were fighting. The more he thought about her explanation, the more it made sense. 

He knew the light side was prejudice, all he had to do was look at how light wizards treated dark creatures like werewolves and naga, but he had never been told why until recently. Dumbledore and the others had simply explained it as ‘dark equals evil’ and had left it at that. 

Harry didn’t feel evil, he didn’t feel all that much different from before his inheritance, and yet he’d turned into a ‘dark’ creature. 

“ _ I guess...I just got overwhelmed. I’ve been keeping everything in for so long it all just built up until I couldn’t take it anymore. Learning the truth about Voldemort just broke the damn.”  _

Hassaria rubbed her head against her son’s cheek. She was a mundane snake so human emotions were a bit of a mystery to her, but she knew her hatchling was hurting and that he seemed to always feel better when she physically comforted him. 

It felt so nice having his snake mother nuzzling up against him, so Harry took several minutes to just enjoy her cooing and squeezing him gently around the shoulders. He rubbed his fingers along her scales and closed his eyes to let them relax for a moment. 

“ _ Are your emotions still too much for you?”  _ Hassaria asked gently once the tension she could feel in Harry’s shoulders had lessened somewhat. 

“ _ No...not really. I think I worked most of it out.”  _ At least Harry hoped he had. He really didn’t want to risk having another breakdown so soon after the one yesterday. He could still feel some of the anger he felt yesterday boiling under his skin and the sorrow he felt on the edges of his mind, but they weren’t all encompassing. A few deep breaths and Harry was able to keep his emotions in check. 

“ _ Perhaps more sleep would be best? These last few days have been very stressful.” _

Hassaria’s motherly concern had Harry smiling and giggling softly again. It felt amazing to have a mother who would worry about him eating and sleeping enough without being forceful about it. Mrs. Weasley had always been worried about how much he ate, but she’d also always try to force more and more food on him even when he was completely full.

“ _ I don’t think I could sleep anymore right now.” _ Even though he was emotionally tired, Harry doubted he would be able to get back to sleep. For one his body was demanding he eat some breakfast. 

As if someone could read his thoughts, a tray of meats, soft boiled eggs, and fruits appeared on the table in front of the couch. There was even a glass of pumpkin juice for him to try along with the tea he had come to like. 

Harry and Hassaria ate quietly together, enjoying the time that the two of them were sharing together. Harry tried one of the eggs and was happy to note that he could eat the cooked egg without getting sick. He had a small hope that perhaps he could get his stomach used to cooked foods faster if he tried eating more cooked food. 

The tray of food vanished once Harry had eaten his fill and leaned back on the sofa. His pumpkin juice, which he had to sip slowly and in small amounts, and his tea stayed behind for him. 

“ _ Would you like to go outside Hassis? You have not sunbathed since we left our forest.”  _ Hassaria suggested softly. She may not understand her hatchling’s human needs, but she did understand his snake needs. Snakes always did better after some sunbathing. It not only warmed the scales, but something about the sun always made a snake more active. 

_ “Maybe later mum.”  _ In all honesty Harry was nervous about leaving his rooms. He really didn’t want to accidentally run into Voldemort, not after everything he’d learned yesterday. Harry was so conflicted over whether or not to accept the courtship that he was afraid if he saw Voldemort now, he would have another nervous breakdown. No. He’d stay in his rooms for the day and maybe attempt to venture out tomorrow. 

There was one thing he wanted to do though, and Harry’s eyes settled on the old book that Voldemort had given him. Narcissa had done a great job explaining wizarding courtships to him, but she had admitted that naga courtships were different in some ways. Harry needed all the information he could get before coming to a final decision. 

Now that he knew Voldemort had the ability to love, that he might even come to love Harry one day if given the chance, Harry didn’t want to just shut him out. If there was even a remote possibility that Harry could be happy with the man, despite everything he had done, Harry didn’t want to risk losing the chance. It would take time, a lot of time, before Harry would be able to let down his shields around Voldemort, but for happiness he would try.

Maybe his instincts were pushing at him a bit strongly, but after years of being rash and not thinking things through, Harry was going to actually be careful with this decision and not outright reject every possibility. 

With that in mind, Harry pulled over the naga book that Voldemort had given him and began flipping through it. He had questions that needed answering and this book had to have the answers. 

The rapid page turning paused at a chapter that described physical traits in dominants before Harry shook his head with a deep blush and continued on. Finally he found the chapter he was looking for. 

Naga Courtship Behavior. 

_ The first thing any young naga needs to know is that courtship behavior differs from tribe to tribe. Courtship traditions and behaviors are often influenced by the culture the tribe is connected to as well as the instincts of the dominant naga in question.  _

_ There are a few behaviors that are common amongst all naga. The first being that it is the dominant naga that initiates any and all courtship offers. A submissive naga can encourage a dominant to court them, but it is up to the dominant to make the first offering gift.  _

_ Most dominant nagas are very sudden with their initial offers of courtship, as the decision is often instinct fueled.  _

Well that would definitely explain why Voldemort had asked to court him so quickly, despite how volatile things had been between them for so long. 

_ Although the initial courtship offer is instinctual and sudden, it does not influence a dominants feelings towards the submissive. If the offer is accepted, a dominant's feelings can become positive or negative during the courtship. If negative feelings grow in either the dominant or the submissive, the courtship can be called off.  _

_ This is not to say that a dominant or submissive will not be upset if the courtship is rejected. Seeing as how nagas are part human, and have human feelings and thoughts, emotions play just as much a part in courtship offers as instincts.  _

_ If the dominant already has strong feelings for the submissive in question, then the instinctual need and desire to court will be even stronger. This is also true if there is already some sort of bond or connection in place between the dominant and submissive.  _

Harry snorted softly. He had to wonder if the ‘connection’ in question could be one between enemies. If strong emotions played such a big part, did hate count? Then again, Voldemort had said he didn’t hate Harry. 

Perhaps obsession was what had pushed Voldemort to ask to court him? For years the man had been obsessed with killing Harry. Since he didn’t want to kill him anymore, maybe that obsession had turned into something else? 

Whatever the case was, Harry decided to stop thinking about it. He had reading to get back to. 

_ Before a courtship offer can be rejected or accepted, an Offering Gift must be presented. This gift is oftentimes something the dominant feels that the submissive will want or need. The Offering Gift is usually something that leaves a strong impression on the submissive, it is something that will show the submissive just how serious the dominant is about the courtship.  _

_ The Offering Gift is also something that the dominant will give to show the submissive how powerful they are, either magically, physically, or financially. Some dominants will choose to hunt down a dangerous or powerful beast and present the kill to the submissive. Other dominants will use their magic to craft unique magical objects. Some dominants will find the most expensive gift they can to give to the submissive.  _

Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust. He could understand the importance of an Offering Gift, but if Voldemort came up to him with a bear or something, he would just be disgusted. After growing up with barely anything to his name, an expensive gift would just make him uncomfortable. If Voldemort actually cared about what Harry would like, then the man would definitely be crafting something using his magic. 

His inner naga was practically purring over the idea of the older naga giving him such a magically powerful gift. Even if Harry wasn’t as excited over the idea of getting gifts, he was at least curious to see what Voldemort would give him. 

_ In most naga tribes, a dominant naga will continue to give gifts to the submissive until the submissive in question either accepts or rejects their courtship offer. The first Offering Gift is often grand or important in some way, but any following gifts will be fairly normal gifts to remind the submissive that the dominant is still interested in them. Gifts of food are the most common gift given after the first Offering Gift.  _

_ Assuming the submissive rejects the courtship offer, the dominant cannot attempt to woo the submissive for at least a year following the rejection. If the dominant attempts to continue approaching the submissive, the submissive’s family or tribe has the right to punish the offending dominant.  _

But Harry didn’t have a family or tribe to protect him. He had Narcissa, possibly, but how far would she be willing to go to help him? Yesterday Voldemort had told him that if Harry rejected him, then Voldemort would not force the issue. Harry couldn’t help but believe the man seeing as how he had always kept his word in the past. He still worried about it though. 

_ If a submissive accepts the courtship offer then the dominant is given permission to spend more time with the submissive. As stated previously, different tribes have different traditions involving courtships and many traditions are influenced by the cultures that the tribe descends from. Some tribes have the dominant move into the family home of the submissive so that the entire family can be involved with getting to know the dominant. Other tribes require the submissive to always have a chaperone when the dominant and submissive are together. There are cases where tribes have allowed submissives to sleep in the same room as their courting dominant to see if the two are compatible domestically.  _

_ No matter the traditions of various tribes, after the acceptance of the courtship the dominant and submissive proceed to spend time together. This time of bonding is used to see if the dominant and submissive are compatible emotionally, mentally, and physically.  _

_ As stated in previous chapters, nagas are a very physical race of beings. It is believed this need for touch is an instinct given to the snake races from the Great Mother to ensure her human children would not be rejected by their serpentine parents and would be able to reach adulthood.  _

_ Courting dominants and submissives will oftentimes be found cuddling or embracing each other while getting to know each other. This is an instinctual need that both dominants and submissives feel while courting. If either dominant or submissive find they are not comfortable with touching the other, the courtship will often come to an end very quickly.  _

Harry’s cheeks felt like they were on fire as he tried to imagine just holding hands with Voldemort. He’d never been much of a physical person, mostly because of all the beatings his family had ‘gifted’ him with over the years. Even after going to Hogwarts he hadn’t been very physical. It’d taken a long time for him to get used to hugging Hermoine and his other friends. 

How could he be expected to touch Voldemort when Harry could barely do so with his friends? 

And yet Harry couldn’t help but imagine himself cuddled up against Voldemort, sitting in front of a fire together, curled up in his tail, and resting his head against the man’s scaled chest. Harry felt his heart going mad just fantasizing the two of them wrapping their tails up around each other.

It was so strange imagining those things when just a couple days ago he and Voldemort were still enemies. It felt wrong to be so comfortable with Voldemort, and yet his instincts were telling him that everything was fine. 

_ During the courtship, both the dominant and submissive will exchange gifts with each other. These gifts can come in many shapes, sizes, and kinds. Courtship gifts are meant to not only impress the courting partner, but to impart knowledge of likes and dislikes to the other.  _

So kind of like when Narcissa took her husband to the opera when they were courting. She had said her husband had not liked it, but it was something she enjoyed and wanted him to know about. 

_ Although courtship traditions, methods, and beliefs differ from tribe to tribe, the one thing that does not change is that it is the submissive that makes the final decision in the relationship. If the submissive believes they are not compatible with the dominant, then the courtship will be called off. The dominant can keep trying, after the required amount of separation time, but any future mating is determined by the wants and needs of the submissive.  _

It was comforting to know that even in the naga world, Harry would still have control over the courtship, similar to the wizarding world. 

The next few pages were mostly about what sorts of gifts were to be expected from either side. Harry was happy to read that one of the most common gifts that submissives gave were homemade meals. If there was one thing Harry was good at, besides fighting and flying, it was cooking! He might be able to owl order a few things, but mostly Harry would have to rely on his skills.

Owl ordering…

Harry slammed down his book as he paled drastically. In the hecticness of the last few days, he’d completely forgotten about Hedwig! He had left their nest in such a hurry that he hadn’t had time to see if Hedwig had followed after him! Harry knew his firebolt was faster than Hedwig could follow, especially at top speeds, so he would have lost her within seconds of taking off. He knew Hedwig was a smart owl, very smart, and that she’d be able to find him wherever he was, but he was worried that the wizards that had been chasing him would hurt her. 

He was pretty sure he’d seen Tonks in the group, so he was sure it had been the Order that had found him, so he was hoping they wouldn’t hurt Hedwig. 

As tempted as he was to rush out of his room and find someone, possibly Narcissa, to ask them about finding his owl, he didn’t think it would be a smart idea. He was still feeling a bit emotional from his breakdown so running around in a panic over his owl would probably not be very helpful. 

So he forced himself to take several calming deep breaths. It had taken Hedwig sometime to find him back in the forest he’d been left in, and it would probably take some time for Hedwig to find him here. He had no doubt that she would find him, his real concern was whether or not the Death Eaters or werewolves would hurt her. 

Perhaps he could ask Voldemort to keep an eye out for Hedwig? Or maybe ask him to tell his people not to hurt her? 

His instincts cooed at him that if Voldemort really cared about his happiness, he would have already ordered his Death Eaters not to hurt the snowy owl. 

It was a rather surprisingly logical thought from his instincts and it calmed Harry down. 

He would still speak with Voldemort later though.

_ If the courtship is going well by the submissive’s heat, the submissive may invite the dominant to share their heat with them. Many submissives wait until they have a heat in order to gauge how sexually compatible they and the dominant are.  _

Harry had decided to return to reading, but as soon as the book started talking about the  _ sexual _ aspect of the courtship, he’d slammed the book closed again and set it as far from him as possible. 

That was definitely something that was different in a naga courtship compared to a wizarding one. Since nagas were such a physical race, sex was something that was common between the courting dominant and submissive. 

Being the naive virgin that he was, Harry wasn’t quite willing to think about sex with Voldemort yet; no matter how active his hormonal imagination was. 

He was going to avoid reading anymore about courtships for awhile, seeing as how he and Voldemort weren’t even at that stage in their relationship!

That thought had Harry’s mind screeching on the breaks. Was he actually thinking about accepting Voldemort’s courtship offer?! The man had only just asked him yesterday!

There were definitely pros and cons to saying yes. Since Voldemort had already promised to protect Harry, and give him anything he could want or need, he didn’t have to say yes to the courting. Harry could say no. 

Then again if he said yes, he might have the chance to find happiness; if not with Voldemort then with someone else. Heck Harry could even use the courtship with Voldemort as practice for any future courtships. 

At least Harry knew Voldemort, it wasn’t like he’d be dating some stranger. At least he knew Voldemort wouldn’t try to kill him if the courtship ended badly! Worse case scenario, Voldemort would just lock Harry away in some tower for the rest of his life. 

Not a horrible prospect seeing as how he was used to being locked up by his relatives. Voldemort might even care enough to make sure Harry was at least comfortable in any prison he put him in. 

Harry giggled as he imagined himself as Rapunzel with long black hair sitting in a room at the top of a tall tower. The giggle turned into a snort as he imagined Voldemort as the evil wizard trying to seduce him. 

Being a teenager sucked when his imagination got going. 

He could say yes to the offer and if things didn’t go well they could just break things off. Voldemort had said he would let Harry go while under the effects of the truth potion. 

What did he have to lose by saying yes? 

Harry swallowed hard as he felt a bit of guilt in his heart. If he said yes, would that be like spitting in the face of his parents' sacrifice? Would he be telling them that he didn’t care about them? If he gave Voldemort a chance, would that be like saying Sirius’s death meant nothing?

The pain Harry felt in his heart wasn’t as bad as it had been yesterday when he’d lost control of his sorrow, but it still hurt. Even though he hadn’t known them, he loved his parents. He had loved Sirius. If they were still alive would they even understand why he was contemplating saying yes to dating the Dark Lord?

If they were still alive though, it would mean Voldemort hadn’t gone after him and that the war hadn’t ever happened. 

Perhaps he could talk to Narcissa about this? It wasn’t like he had anyone else to talk to. Harry wished he could talk to Remus, the only other person that had known his parents, but he wasn’t even sure if he could trust him anymore. Harry didn’t even know who he could trust from his old life. 

He wished he could contact his old friends and figure out who were still his friends, but it was too risky. 

‘Follow your heart.’ That’s what his mom had told him in his dream back during his inheritance. 

At that moment his heart wanted him to trust Voldemort and to give him a chance. His heart wanted him to find his friends as well, but he had no idea how to go about doing that. 

Perhaps Voldemort could help him? The older naga had promised to get him anything he wanted or needed, and Harry felt like he needed to talk to his friends. 

The Slytherin part of him, the part that Harry almost always tried to push away, whispered to him that Harry could use the courtship to get Voldemort to do just about anything he wanted; from helping him with his friends to ending the war. He could milk this courtship for all it was worth!

It wasn’t a bad idea, but Harry didn’t know how he felt about using Voldemort like that. Maybe he could just ask for help, be honest about it, and see if Voldemort was willing to help him. 

Seeing if Voldemort would help him speak with his friends would be a good way to test their ‘compatibility’ in a way. If Voldemort was willing to help Harry find his real friends, then that would show that Voldemort really cared about what Harry wanted. It would also show Voldemort that Harry trusted him enough to be honest with him. 

That was definitely a better way of thinking about things than just using the courtship to get what he wanted. 

The more his thoughts went round and round in his head, the more Harry started to like the idea of accepting the courtship offer from Voldemort. He still wasn’t sure if he and Voldemort could even get along, but at least he could trust that the older naga would try his best. 

Maybe he should wait and see what Voldemort’s Offering Gift would be first? The book had gone on and on about the importance of the first Offering Gift after all. Who knew how long it would take Voldemort to get the first gift together. If it took awhile, waiting would give Harry more time to think things through. 

Harry nodded to himself. He would wait to see what Voldemort would give him. If he thought the gift was acceptable, he would say yes to the courtship offer. If Voldemort really messed things up and gave something that Harry would never in a million years want, he would tell the man no. Harry would give him the benefit of the doubt and be open about any sort of gift, so long as it wasn’t a dead animal or something over the top expensive. 

He would need to talk to Narcissa soon. He wanted her to be there, to be a chaperone while Harry and Voldemort grew comfortable with each other. It would probably make him feel better if both Hassaria and Nagini were with them as well for a while, to give him a buffer between him and Voldemort. 

Now that his mind was mostly made up, Harry found himself getting excited over being courted. He’d tried dating Cho last year, but it’d ended very badly. Harry had felt nothing but nervous and wary over dating Cho, but the idea of dating Voldemort was strangely exciting. 

If someone had told Harry a few days ago that he’d be excited over dating Voldemort, Harry probably would have killed them with laughter. This was definitely not something he’d ever dreamt of before, and yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

Would Voldemort take him out on dates? Would they go out to dinner in some fancy italian restaurant? Harry actually rather liked the idea of going to the beach with Voldemort for a date. He’d never been to a beach before and had always wanted to see the ocean properly. 

“ _ Your sadness is gone my Hassis.”  _ Hassaria flicked her tongue out several times against Harry’s cheek. “ _ Did your book help you?” _

Harry smiled warmly at the elder snake still wrapped around his shoulders. She’d fallen asleep sometime during his reading, but now she was awake again and rubbing against his neck and cheek. 

“ _ Yes. I think it did.” _

Now all he had to do was wait and see what Voldemort would give him as his Offering Gift. Harry would follow his instincts on this, no matter how excited his imagination was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. 
> 
> Next update will be Monday the 24th of August. 
> 
> Next time: Malfoy shows up and tries to get along with Harry, which ends up with them having a rather stiff conversation and spending the day together.


	17. Chapter 17

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 17

Harry spent the rest of the day in his room reading a little more about nagas and talking to his snake family. At one point near dinner Narcissa had stopped by to make sure Harry was alright, but otherwise he was left alone; which was exactly what he wanted. 

The evening meal was delivered suddenly on the coffee table where he was sitting on the couch. Dinner for him was another selection of meats, with a few he had never seen before, more cheese, a couple new types of fruit, and a broth like soup for him to try. The broth didn’t have anything in it, but Harry found that taking a sip from it right after eating some meat made it feel like he was eating soup.

After dinner Harry was once again sitting quietly in front of the fire with only his thoughts. Being alone with his thoughts wasn’t something new to Harry; oftentimes when he was at the Dursley’s he was alone and the only thing he had to do was think. 

He wasn’t quite alone though, Lash and Hassaria were both with him. Nagini had visited during the day, but she had left for the night to go sleep wherever it was she slept.

It was so nice with just the three of them sitting quietly in front of the fire. Lash would sometimes spout out something, but for the most part they were just enjoying the quiet. 

Throughout Harry’s life, he’d never really gotten the chance to enjoy the company of others in a quiet setting. The Gryffindor common room had always been loud and crowded, the dorm room had always usually been loud even when he and the others were trying to sleep, the library had mostly been quiet, but it hadn’t really been a relaxing environment. 

Whenever he was at Grimmauld place or at the Burrow, the Weasley’s had always been so loud and busy rushing around. 

No. In all of his life Harry had never been able to have a quiet moment with the people he cared about. So it was a unique and pleasing experience to share with both his little brother Lash and his snake mom Hassaria. 

The peace, quiet, and comfort Harry felt like resting on the couch in front of the fire slowly lulled him into sleep and he ended up sleeping on the couch for a second night in a row instead of in the comfortably soft bed he’d been given. Neither Lash nor Hassaria seemed to mind the sleeping arrangements.

* * *

Harry’s dreams were confusing and rather random for him. They seemed to jump from his current worries to his most recent fantasies, which was rather disconcerting seeing as how Voldemort was present in both cases. Luckily for Harry, his dreams stayed relatively calm and never turned into nightmares. 

When morning arrived, Harry was awoken by the sound of Lash laughing and teasing Hassaria from the coffee table. He was teasing her about how they wouldn’t have to worry about hunting anymore, which was a good thing since Hassaria was getting so old. 

Apparently their breakfast had arrived while Harry had been sleeping in. 

“ _ Stop teasing mum Lash.”  _ Harry piped up around a big yawn. He happily stretched out his tail as far as it would go, draping it over the far armrest of the couch. His arms went over his head and Harry tightened the muscles in his shoulders for a moment before he happily flopped back down bonelessly. 

“ _ But mum really is old Hassis! It’s not teasing if it is true!” _ Lash argued even as he swiped a piece of meat from the breakfast tray that had appeared on the coffee table. “ _ With all this food, mum can’t complain about having to hunt for us anymore!”  _

_ “You are old enough to hunt for yourself Lash. You shouldn’t be so lazy and eat the food that is brought for Hassis!”  _ Hassaria was also on the coffee table, but was pointedly not eating any of the meat and fruits that were on the tray. “ _ I am not going to go hunting frogs for you when you are perfectly able to do it yourself.” _

Ah. So that’s what was going on. Lash was upset because there was no frog meat on the breakfast tray and he was trying to get their mum to go and get him some of his favorite frogs. When she had refused to hunt for him, telling him that he was old enough to hunt on his own, Lash had sniped back saying she wouldn’t go hunting because she was so old and tired. It was a typical argument for them.

Now Lash was writhing around on the coffee table whining and crying about how Hassaria didn’t love him and how life was unfair. 

Harry snickered as he watched Hassaria hiss and snap at Lash whenever he would wriggle close to her. 

“ _ I will not hunt for you every time Lash! You will become lazy and weak if you do not hunt for yourself.” _

_ “You hunt for Hassis!”  _

_ “Hassis is still a hatchling and has not mastered hunting yet. You on the other hand have.” _

It was Harry’s turn to pout when his rather lackluster hunting skills were brought up. It wasn’t his fault that he was so new to hunting! In fact, he was pretty sure his hunting skills weren’t really all that bad. Sure he still missed most of the rabbits he tried to catch, but for the most part he caught enough to not starve. 

It was progress considering where he had started at. 

“ _ If you want frogs, you will hunt for them yourself. Be grateful that Blessed Nagini showed us the pond where the frogs are plentiful.”  _ Sometimes Hassaria would give in to Lash’s pouting, but that didn’t seem to be the case this time. 

“ _ Aren’t you hungry mum?” _ Harry asked after watching the arguing snakes for a couple more minutes. Although Lash was sneaking bites of Harry’s breakfast, Hassaria hadn’t touched a thing. 

Hassaria cooed softly and turned her glossy gaze to Harry. “ _ I was waiting until you awoke, my Hassis, before I went hunting for my own meal. I did not want you to wake up alone.” _

Warmth blossomed in Harry’s chest and he smiled gratefully. It always amazed Harry whenever his mum would do something like this. He had always envied Dudley with how loving aunt Petunia had been towards him, but Harry had never expected to ever feel that kind of love. Hassaria was the mother that Harry had always prayed to have. 

“ _ I’m awake now so you go on ahead. I promise I’ll eat my breakfast.”  _ He added when Hassaria hesitated to leave and eyed the platter of food. “ _ I’ll eat as much as I can, I promise.”  _

“ _ You aren’t making Hassis hunt! Why are you making me hunt?” _ Lash whined as he made what sounded like sobbing sounds. 

Hassaria sighed and huffed in annoyance at the smaller snake. “ _ I do not make Hassis hunt because he is young and because the dominant blessed one is trying to impress him with his wealth of food.” _

Harry flushed and sputtered a bit at his mother. The food wasn’t from Voldemort! Sure he had ordered the house elves to bring it to him, and had probably selected the food in the first place, but that didn’t mean Voldemort was trying to impress him. He was just being a good host! 

Lash’s pouting turned into teasing as he poked fun at Harry’s situation. The young grass snake didn’t really understand courting, but he seemed to know that the situation was the perfect opportunity to tease his brother. 

Reassured that her hatchling wouldn’t go hungry, as he sometimes did whenever he was too upset to eat, Hassaria nodded and got off of the coffee table. Lash reluctantly joined her, grumbling the whole time about how unfair life was. Harry chuckled as Lash continued to grumble and pout all the way out the room and out the door, which had been charmed to open and close whenever one of the snakes came close to it. At least he wouldn’t have to put up with being teased for a little while. 

As he had promised his mother, Harry ate as much of his breakfast as he could until he was full. Most of the meat was gone as well as a good portion of the fruit. He had to skip the eggs this time though, which he was a little sad about. The eggs had been delicious yesterday.

Harry still didn’t really feel like leaving his rooms after finishing his breakfast. It’d been almost 48 hours since Voldemort had last spoken to him, but Harry still didn’t feel ready to go out and find non snake company. He probably should get up and at least go out to the garden, but Harry couldn’t seem to convince his body to move. 

He felt safe in his rooms, and it was nice to have a quiet space for him to just sit and relax. Harry couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten to enjoy some time by himself. 

That being said, Harry found himself getting bored after about an hour of just sitting and relaxing. There were books in the room for him, a wide variety of subjects that he could choose from, but Harry didn’t really feel like reading anything that resembled a textbook. He really should read more from the naga book, but just thinking about the section of courtship he had stopped at had Harry’s cheeks turning a bright red. 

Maybe he really should go spend time out in the garden? At least he would be able to sunbathe for a while. 

Even with his mind made up, Harry hesitated when leaving his room. He had decided to take a chance with Voldemort’s offer, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see the man any time soon. Leaving his rooms really upped the chance that Harry would run into Voldemort. 

But Harry was starting to feel cabin fever. Only at the Dursleys had he ever been forced to stay in his room for any extended length of time. At least his rooms here at Malfoy Manor were large and comfortable; Harry didn’t feel like he was stuck in a small cell. But after a month of living in a forest with the open sky and fresh air, being stuck indoors, even willingly, was getting to be too much. 

So Harry took a deep breath and forced himself out of his rooms and into the hallway. 

There was no one in the immediate area of the hallway and Voldemort’s scent was a little stale, assuring Harry that the man wasn’t nearby to run into. He couldn’t scent anyone close by really. The lack of people in the area had Harry worried that maybe he was alone in the manor?

The chances of him being left all alone in such a large place, especially someplace as important as the Dark Lord’s base of operations, seemed highly unlikely. Logically speaking, Harry figured everyone had been called to a meeting or something. 

Harry’s assumption that people were still around was confirmed as he tried to navigate his way down the stairs. He was clinging to the banister, having tripped and slid down a few stairs before grabbing onto it tightly, when he heard someone moving around behind him. 

Being so exposed and vulnerable had Harry’s fangs slipping out and he hissed at whoever was walking up to him from behind. 

“I’m not going to hurt you Po- er….Hassis.” 

The aggravatingly tenor voice of Draco Malfoy stopped Harry from hissing. Instead he groaned in annoyance. He would never live this down! Malfoy had caught him being clumsy while trying to slither down stairs. 

“Shouldn’t you be going to school or something?” Harry growled out as he used the banister to stand up again. His tail was not cooperating though and he slipped down another step before he was able to finally control his forward motion. 

“It’s the 30th.” Malfoy said rather blandly as he watched his one time school nemesis struggle down the stairs. 

In the few days they had last spoken, Malfoy seemed to have gotten over some of his fear of Harry. He wasn’t sneering or attempting to torment Harry, but he didn’t seem very interested in leaving him alone either. 

Determined to not make a fool of himself in front of Malfoy again, Harry very carefully made his way down each and every step that was left. Thankfully he didn’t trip or slip again, but mostly because he’d kept both hands on the banister to his side with a white knuckled grip. 

Malfoy, who was still a few steps behind Harry, did a slow clap when Harry finally made it to the ground floor. 

“Shut it Malfoy.” Harry glared over his shoulder at the other teen. “I’d like to see you try to go down stairs with your legs all tied up inside a super smooth tube.” 

“No thank you. I’ll leave the theatrics to you.” 

How was it that even when he sounded so calm and relaxed, Malfoy was still able to sound so condescending? And why was he even bothering Harry right now? 

“Don’t you have somewhere to be Malfoy?” Harry said as he turned to head down a hallway that would lead him out a door into the private garden. To his great displeasure, the brat boy was following him. 

“Not particularly. Mother is busy with organizing the family tailor to visit, Father is attempting to fix his broken connections with the ministry, and aunt Bella has  _ finally  _ stopped tormenting me.” When Harry glanced back at him, the blond teen was staring down at his fingernails boredly. “My school things are all packed as well so I really don’t have anything to do at the moment.” 

“Wonderful.” Harry was really starting to regret his decision to leave his rooms. He should have just stayed there and put up with the cabin fever he’d been feeling. 

It wasn’t until Harry was in the private garden that he realized that Malfoy could just as easily enter it as he could. Harry felt like slamming his head against the gazebo a few times for his idiocy. 

“Is there a reason you’re following me Malfoy?” Harry ground out as he found the best spot to curl up and get his desired sunbathing in.

For several long minutes, Malfoy just stared at Harry with an unreadable expression. Just as Malfoy was staring at him, Harry was glaring right back. Finally, Malfoy let out a small sigh and his expression seemed to fall a bit into nervousness. 

“I...I wanted to apologize...before I returned to Hogwarts.” Malfoy all but whispered. 

The garden became rather quiet, with only the sounds of songbirds singing in the late morning air. 

Harry had no idea how to respond for some time and just stood there staring dumbly at Malfoy. Never in a million years had he ever expected to hear Draco Malfoy, the spoiled brat of Slytherin, willingly apologize for anything. Harry had been expecting some form of verbal torment or bullying, a last dig for Malfoy to get in before leaving for the school year, but not this!

Malfoy sighed when the other teen didn’t say anything and just stared at him in shock. “I was a jerk to you these last few years at school. To be honest I was,” he clenched his teeth as he tried to get the right word out “I was jealous of Weasley and Granger. I wanted to be your friend, but you turned me away in the most humiliating way. And then we ended up in rival houses so I never saw the point in trying again.” 

Harry’s shock doubled and if this had been one of his aunts dramas on the tele, he would have fainted from shock. Instead Harry just stared dumbly at Malfoy for a minute or two before clearing his throat. 

“Why apologize now? What’s in it for you?” Harry knew how Slytherin minds worked; Malfoy wouldn’t apologize unless there was some benefit for him. 

Instead of looking insulted by the insinuation, like a Gryffindor would have, Malfoy actually seemed a little impressed by the accusation. 

“Nothing really.” Malfoy replied as he propped one fist against his cocked hip. “When you showed up I couldn’t help but be surprised and scared. You’d gotten a creature inheritance, one that is considered quite deadly. But after taking a couple days to think about it, I realized that your life really is quite screwed up.”

“So you’re apologizing because of pity?” Harry snarled and turned his head to glare at the ground, his hands fisting at his sides. He didn’t want pity! Especially pity from Draco Malfoy. It left a bad taste in his mouth after years of aggression between the two of them. 

Malfoy snickered softly. “No. I’m apologizing because I realized I was just making your life worse than it already was.” 

“Still sounds an awful lot like pity.” Harry grumbled angrily. His arms came up to cross over his chest in irritation over the entire conversation. Maybe he should just leave the garden and head back to his rooms? At least Malfoy couldn’t follow him inside...unless he shoved Harry in and hurried in after him again. Now that he knew of that tactic though, Harry wouldn’t be caught unaware a second time. 

“Fine. There’s a little pity.” Malfoy rolled his eyes at Harry. “I also thought that maybe we could start over and try to get along if I apologized.” The small sneer that Malfoy seemed to perpetually have on his face vanished and for a moment Harry could swear he looked nervous, but Harry couldn’t exactly be sure since he’d never seen such an expression on Draco’s face. “If you’re going to end up staying here for any length of time, we’ll need to at least tolerate each other. Mother also seems to think you’ll get lonely without someone your own age and has asked that I offer to write to you during the school year.” 

Perhaps this was the week of surprises for Harry? It felt like every day that he was in the Malfoy Manor, something happened to totally and completely shock him. 

Maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Narcissa would try to make Harry’s life a little more comfortable while he stayed in the manor? She seemed to be really invested in making sure he was taken care of. 

Narcissa knew who he was though, so why would she try to get her son to do anything nice for him? Harry was sure the Lady Malfoy knew that he and Draco did not get along in any sense of the word. 

Malfoy huffed out a quick sigh and he glared down at his feet. “Look. I know I’ve been a jerk to you. You’ve given as good as you got over the years. I’m sorry.” 

That attempt of an apology sounded a lot more genuine than the last. He didn’t know if he could ever be  _ friends  _ with Draco, but Harry could at least be civil. He didn’t want to be antagonistic all the time with Draco, especially in the teens' own home; Harry would end up being more exhausted than he already was if he wasted so much of his energy on disliking the youngest Malfoy. 

Besides, if Narcissa was the one trying to get them to get along, Harry could try. At least for her. She’d been so kind to him when she’d had no real reason to be. Sure Voldemort had asked her to talk to him and be nice to him, but she could have been distantly kind like a Lady of an Ancient and Noble house normally was. 

So yes, Harry could be civil with Draco. But that didn’t mean he’d make it easy for Draco. 

He waited a few minutes, staring at Draco who was trying not to shift around nervously, until finally Harry nodded his head. “Alright Draco,” he said tiredly, “I accept your apology...and it would be nice if you wrote to me during the year.” 

Harry was pretty sure he’d end up being really bored in the Malfoy Manor after awhile, especially since he was so used to being active and doing things on a regular basis. That and he really did want to be kept updated on what was going on at Hogwarts. He might not want to go back to school, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be completely cut off. 

Having Draco sending him letters would also give him the chance to check up on some of his old friends. 

“If you could, could you tell me how Neville and Luna are doing? I haven’t heard from them all summer.” 

When Ron and Hermoine hadn’t written to him, Harry had been upset, but after awhile he came to the understanding that they had just stopped being his friends. What worried him was the fact that he hadn’t heard from Neville or Lune over the summer. He hadn’t been as close to them as he had been with Ron and Hermoine, but at least Neville had always sent a birthday letter. 

Draco sneered, but instead of arguing he simply nodded. As loathe as he was to spend any of his time checking up on people outside his circle of acquaintances, he would if it meant having any sort of friendship with Potter. 

The two teens stood awkwardly in the garden until finally Harry huffed and made the decision to just trust Draco a little bit so that he could relax in the sunshine. It really was a nice day and Harry wanted to take advantage of the last of the warm summer sun. With that in mind, Harry coiled his tail up and happily settled himself in the middle of the coil. 

Taking that as an invitation to also relax, Draco conjured a comfortable seat for himself, much to the wary gaze of Harry. 

“Oh relax Hassis. The ministry can’t detect underage magic here.” Draco smirked rather snarkily at Harry as he crossed one leg over the other. 

“What?!” Harry could have been using magic here without worrying about the ministry finding him? How was that even possible?! 

Draco looked rather pleased with himself that he knew something that Harry did not. “The trace only works when there’s not much ambient magic around. The manor is covered in magic and there are so many adults around that even if the ministry was able to detect magic usage, they would just assume it was an adult casting.”

Harry’s nose wrinkled as he frowned. “So you can practice magic, but muggle-borns and muggle raised kids can’t? That doesn’t sound very fair.” 

The shrug that Draco gave Harry showed just how much he didn’t care about the fairness of the situation. “It’s to enforce the statute of secrecy. The ministry has enough trouble trying to fix the mistakes of adults who use magic around muggles, they don’t need the extra work of dealing with kids doing intentional magic and making a mess of things too.” 

Harry could understand that, seeing as how the ministry had showed up when he’d blown up aunt Marge. He could only imagine what it must be like trying to handle accidental magic cases for all muggle-born kids. 

Still, it didn’t seem very fair that kids growing up in magical households got to use magic without any consequences. 

Grumbling softly to himself, Harry made himself comfortable in the coil of his tail, pillowing his head on his arms while they were propped up on his tail. 

“It’s going to be rather boring without you at school this year.” 

Harry hadn’t been expecting Draco to say anything else once the two of them were sitting. He really hadn’t been expecting him to say something like that! Harry eyed the blond, but didn’t say anything back. 

Draco rolled his eyes again when Harry remained silent. “I’m trying to be friendly here Hassis, have a conversation, you don’t need to glare at me so much.” He snickered when Harry frowned, but otherwise forced himself to stop glaring so much. 

“I’m serious though. School is going to be rather boring with you gone. There always seems to be something going on when you’re around.” Harry really couldn’t deny that fact. “Weasley and Granger aren’t nearly as much fun to torment if you’re not around either. Weasley just spouts off his usual idiocy, but Granger doesn’t really say much.” 

For a moment, Harry felt angry and there was a need to defend his friends against Draco. The moment faded quickly though when Harry reminded himself that Ron and Hermoine weren’t really his friends anymore. He didn’t have to defend them. 

“Quidditch is going to be ridiculous. None of the other seekers in the other houses are even worth going up against. At least games against you were a challenge.”

That got a small smirk out of Harry. He might not be as interested in quidditch anymore, but he had enjoyed it while he’d been able to. “You were pretty good too.” Harry admitted softly. Out of all the seekers he’d gone up against, Draco had been the most competitive. The Slytherin’s underhanded tactics had forced Harry to think outside the box when they were playing against each other.

Draco shifted around a little and he almost looked shy before he worked up the courage to say something else. “If you wanted, we could have a seekers game before I leave for school. There is a practice quidditch on the grounds that we could use.” 

As much as Harry wanted to say yes, because he was an adrenaline junkie and liked to fly as fast as he could, he shook his head sadly. “I’ve only flown twice since my inheritance. Crashed the first time, the second time was rather sudden. I don’t think I’d be very good competition anymore.” Harry flicked his tail tip towards Draco to prove his point. 

“That’s the point! I’d actually have a chance to beat you!” For the first time since Harry had met Draco, the blond gave Harry a wide and honest smile. The smile was quickly replaced by his signature snobbish smirk. “But if you’re too scared to go up against me, I suppose we can wait until the holidays. That way you can get some practice in while I’m gone.”

Harry snickered before letting out an actual laugh. The sound of his laughter rang through the garden. “I could never be scared of you Malfoy! I just don’t want my mum lecturing me if I crash again.” He snorted softly at Malfoy’s confused frown. “If you think human mothers are bad, you’ve never had to deal with a mother snake!” 

It took a moment for Draco to connect the dots, but his eyes lit up when he realized Harry was talking about one of his snakes. 

“But I do think I’ll take up your offer of a seekers game during the holidays. It’ll give me enough time to relearn how to properly fly.” That was, if Hassaria would let Harry fly on his broom. When the adder had seen the returned firebolt in Harry’s hands, she’d hissed at it threateningly and had told Harry that she never wanted to see him on the ‘flying tree branch’ again. She had even threatened to have Nagini take it away and hide it if Harry even so much as tried to mount it.

Harry was pretty sure he would be able to talk his mum around into letting him go flying again, it would just take a little trying. He would probably end up just hovering close to the ground for a while to show his mum that he would be careful until she was ready to let him fly like he wanted. 

“So who do you think Dumbledore got to be the defense teacher this year?” 

Draco really was trying to have a civil conversation with Harry, and Harry felt a little grateful to him for that. Other than Narcissa and Voldemort, Harry really hadn’t gotten to just chat freely with anyone. It was nice talking to Hassaria and Lash, but they were snakes and couldn’t really hold a conversation for long. 

Their conversation was a bit choppy and stilted in the beginning, but after awhile both Draco and Harry relaxed enough to at least joke around a little. It wasn’t the same as when Harry would talk to his old friends, but it wasn’t terrible either. There were a few times during their conversation when Harry would snarl at Draco over something he would say or Draco would sneer at him over his opinions. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day and it wasn’t like Harry’s instincts were pushing at him to ‘play nice’ with Draco the way they were with Voldemort. In fact Harry’s instincts didn’t feel one way or another about Draco. It would take awhile before the two of them would naturally get along, but at least both of them were willing to try. 

When lunch rolled around, Harry shared a meal with Draco even though the blond paled a bit at the sight of Harry’s raw meat. If Harry took a little pleasure in making the Malfoy heir squirm, well, he wasn’t going to deny it. 

By the time Draco excused himself and Harry returned to his rooms, it was well into the late afternoon. They’d spent hours talking and getting comfortable with each other, with only a couple arguments breaking out between them. 

Overall, it had been a rather nice day for Harry, and he told as much to Hassaria and Lash when they returned from their hunting with Nagini. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday everyone! Here's chapter 17. So next chapter? Voldemort gives Harry his gift. I'm so excited to see your guys' reactions!
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 31st of August. 
> 
> On an important note: I'm going to be starting a job in September. Between buying a house and unexpected medical/dental bills I'm going to have to get at least a part time job. Money is a little tight so I'm hoping that whatever I make can be used for groceries or some bills to help lighten the load a little. 
> 
> Reminder that I have a tumblr where I randomly post snippets from chapters and anything that I find interesting. Tumblr: [ethrildragon](https://ethrildragon.tumblr.com)


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life seems to be slowly getting better for Harry. He doesn't have to worry about an insane Dark Lord trying to kill him, he has an actual family now, and he might even have an actual friend again. Now all he had to worry about was that insane Dark Lord trying to court him and the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore being after him. 
> 
> Harry really did need to make a decision regarding Voldemort soon though. He doubted the man would be able to stay patient for very much longer. Maybe seeing what sort of gift Voldemort would give him would give Harry an idea on whether or not to say yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had a burst of inspiration this week and got an extra chapter done for my buffer chapters. So! You guys get an extra update this week as well! 
> 
> I really hope you guys approve of the gift Voldemort gives Harry.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 18

Things started to return to relatively normal the next day. Narcissa came to check on Harry during breakfast, joining him in his rooms for a little food and tea. When asked if she was still willing to be Harry’s courtship mediator, she readily agreed. She was still in his rooms after breakfast when Draco showed up to see if Harry wanted to continue their chat from the day before. 

The beaming smile Narcissa gave the both of them when she realized they were trying to get along made both boys squirm in embarrassment. Seeing the Lady Malfoy so happy at such a small gesture had Harry more determined to get along with Draco. He wanted to do what he could to make Narcissa happy, as thanks for the kindness she had shown him over the past few days. 

Conversation between the three of them was a little stiff, but Narcissa made it a point to bring up as many things Harry and Draco had in common as she could. As it turned out, the two teenagers had more similar likes and dislikes than they had first thought. Draco wasn’t a fan of treacle tart, even though Harry was, but they both enjoyed the same kind of chocolate fudge that could be bought at Honeydukes. They also both liked Ice mice, which wasn’t one of the more popular candies. 

Another thing that they had in common, was that both boys hated spaghetti. While Harry had a dislike for the noodles, Draco didn’t much like the tomato sauce. Both agreed spaghetti was not something that should be eaten. 

It was difficult finding anything not food related that they had in common, seeing as how Harry really didn’t have any hobbies outside of flying and quidditch. Harry had never really had time to pick up any hobbies during his life. 

Narcissa made a mental note to make sure Harry got to try a few fun things while he was a guest in the manor. 

The big surprise was that Draco hated chess. Harry had imagined that someone as pompous as Draco Malfoy would love such a sophisticated and strategic game. Draco knew how to play, and he was pretty good at it, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. 

Narcissa and Draco excused themselves when lunch rolled around. It was tradition for them and Lord Malfoy to go out to lunch together the day before Draco was to return to Hogwarts. Even with everything happening in the world, the family of three still tried to keep to some of the traditions they had started together. 

Harry smiled sadly after Narciss and Draco had left. At times like this he had to wonder what sort of family traditions he might have had with his own parents, had they not died. He imagined he and his dad would go flying all throughout the summer while his mum would insist on going out to the movies. Remus had mentioned once in passing that Lilly really did enjoy going out to the movies now and then. He imagined that his mum would insist on them going to the movies the day before he went off to Hogwarts everywhere. 

Over the years he had been forced to watch his relatives go on holidays together while he was forced to stay with Mrs. Figg. When his relatives returned, they always had stacks of photos and all sorts of souvenirs that Harry was forced to put out on display. 

Whenever he had to look at all their little knick knacks, Harry would imagine what it would have been like to go on holiday with his own parents. He imagined going to the beach and spending the day swimming while his parents laughed from under an umbrella on the beach. Harry thought about going on rollercoasters with his mum and dad, screaming and laughing the entire time. He dreamed about seeing fireworks with his parents and eating ice cream on hot summer days with them. 

When he was old enough to start looking forward to when he was 17, a legal adult, he imagined what it would be like to find someone that would love him and start a family with him. He dreamed about doing all the things he’d never been able to do, but with his own children. 

After he’d started Hogwarts though, the dreams stopped. With his life constantly being put into danger, Harry came to the conclusion that he would probably end up dying before the end of the war. That thought became especially strong after his fourth year and Voldemort was resurrected. 

Now though? Now that he would no longer be hunted down by a psychotic raving dark wizard, had learned that he would be able to give birth to his own children, and had decided he would have no part in the war, Harry was once again dreaming of the day he had his own family. 

He was looking forward to being able to create his own traditions with his own family! 

During his mental ramblings, Harry had started unconsciously rubbing a hand against his stomach. Daydreaming about having his own family had led him to wondering what it would be like to be pregnant.

One of his teachers before Hogwarts had been pregnant once, so he’d seen how her stomach had gotten bigger during school until finally she had to go on maternity leave to have her baby. 

Harry glanced down at his own stomach, which he was still rubbing gently, and wondered what he would look like when he was pregnant. 

Shocked by his own thoughts, Harry flushed and pulled his hand away from his stomach. “ _ I’m turning into a girl!”  _ Harry hissed out with a groan. Irritably, Harry stood up from the couch and started pacing around his large room. 

Since his inheritance, Harry had been feeling more and more confused about his body. He was a male, damnit, his hips should not be curvy, his hair shouldn’t be long, and he most definitely should NOT be able to get pregnant! Every time he noticed something about his body that was even a bit feminine, Harry couldn’t help but get upset. 

After everything he’d learned about submissive nagas, the confusion over his own gender had only gotten worse. 

Growing up, he had learned that only women could have babies, that looking even remotely ‘girly’ was a bad thing for boys, and that only girls liked ‘pretty things’. 

His life was so screwed up now and Harry couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around it. 

How could he be a man if he had so many traits that only women were supposed to have? How could he ever feel masculine if he ever got pregnant? If he himself couldn’t see himself as male, then how was he supposed to expect the world to see him as male? 

Harry unconsciously wandered into the bathroom and stood in front of the floor length mirror that was attached to the way next to the vanity. He winced as he forced himself to focus on his hips, which had subtly curved after his inheritance. His eyes traveled upwards to his shoulder where his hair was hanging across in curly waves. Harry couldn’t even look himself in the eye since he knew his eye lashes were more feminine than they should be what with them being so long and full. 

Up until the last few days, Harry hadn’t really gotten a good look at himself since his inheritance. Now that he could see the changes and knew about the other things that had changed inside of him, he felt unnerved. It felt like he was inside a stranger's body and not his own. 

“ _ I’m not a girl.”  _ Harry muttered as he turned his back on the mirror. “ _ I’m not!”  _ He was a boy damnit and he was not about to let his physical appearance change that fact. 

“ _ Of course you’re not.”  _

Harry spun around in surprise to face the open door to the bathroom. Voldemort was standing there, his long white tail out instead of his legs, and wearing a white button down shirt instead of one of his silk robes. In one hand was a little black box with a simple green ribbon wrapped around it. 

“ _ The changes to your body do not change who you are. There are many young men in this world that have very feminine bodies, but they are still men. Just as there are masculine women, but they are still women.”  _ Voldemort took a step back from the open door to give Harry the room to leave the bathroom should he want. “ _ Neither your physical appearance nor your reproductive organs define who you are. Only you can decide that for yourself.” _

For some reason, Voldemort’s words relaxed something inside of Harry. He was still uncomfortable with his appearance, with how his body had changed, but having someone else confirm that no matter what had happened, he was still male, calmed Harry down. 

“ _ Unfortunately it will take some time for you to grow comfortable with the changes your body has undergone, but rest assured that you are still you, no matter what.”  _

Harry left the bathroom and shyly returned back to his couch. Once he was seated, his tail curling and coiling up where he was sitting, Voldemort took his own seat across from him. 

“ _ Were you-”  _ Harry bit his lip as he failed at wording what he was trying to ask. He didn’t want to insult the older naga, but he was curious now about whether or not Voldemort had ever felt uncomfortable when his own body had changed during his inheritance. 

A small knowing smirk slipped over Voldemort’s lips and he nodded slowly. “ _ My physical appearance did not alter nearly as much as your own, but it took some time before I was comfortable with my own changes.”  _ Voldemort wouldn’t admit it outloud, but he had been extremely disoriented and disturbed when he’d discovered the change to his penis. The change had played a large part in him learning how to shift back into his full human form as quickly as possible. 

Voldemort still wasn’t completely comfortable with it, but he had at least come to accept the physical change. It was why he preferred being in a more human form rather than in his naga form. 

“ _ So…”  _ Harry chewed on his bottom lip and tried not to blush. “ _ So you don’t think I’m a girl because of...of…” _ He nervously touched his stomach through his shirt. 

“ _ You are a handsome young man Harry, and nothing will change my mind about that.”  _

The heated crimson stare Voldemort gave Harry had the younger naga blushing deeply and looking away nervously. Harry had never seen anyone ever look at him like that, as if they wanted to eat him whole, and he had no idea how to feel about it. 

For a while after that, the two sat quietly across from each other, Voldemort calmly leaning back in his seat and Harry fidgeting with his fingers in his lap. 

“ _ I hope you were able to relax these last couple days.”  _ Voldemort said slowly to break the silence between them. “ _ You’ve had a great deal of upsetting information dumped on your shoulders and not nearly enough time to acclimate to it.”  _

Not knowing what to say, Harry could only nod in response. The last few days had been nice, just taking some time to himself to think and go through his emotions in a way that he could handle. 

“ _ I would have given you more time for yourself, but I have completed my First Offering Gift for you.”  _ Voldemort hesitantly held up the little black box with its green ribbon for Harry to see. “ _ I hope you’ll understand why I’m rushing to give it to you after you see what it is.” _

Even though he was nervous about accepting any sort of gift from Voldemort, Harry understood why the First Offering gift was so important. The book had gone into quite a bit of detail about how important such a gift was to prove to the submissive just how seriously the dominant was taking the courtship. The first gift could define the entire courtship or it could make a submissive reject the courtship altogether. 

If Harry wanted to, he could reject Voldemort’s courtship proposal right then and there and Voldemort wouldn’t be able to argue otherwise. 

But Harry had already decided he would give Voldemort a chance, even though a part of him felt guilty over the decision. So, with his hand shaking ever so slightly, Harry reached out to accept the little black box from Voldemort. 

Voldemort gently handed the little box over to Harry and he couldn’t help the small relieved smile that came to him. He had half expected the younger naga to turn down the gift, to tell him that he had decided he didn’t want to be courted by him, and yet Harry had surprised Voldemort by at least accepting the gift before making a decision. 

The little black box was fairly light weight in Harry’s hand and gave nothing away as he held it up to look at it. It looked like a ring box, like the ones he’d seen on the television during his aunt’s dramas.

Harry swallowed nervously and glanced up at Voldemort before looking at the box again. What if Voldemort had gotten him a ring? He knew Voldemort had grown up in the muggle world and would know what giving a ring would symbolize, so would the Dark Lord do something like that? Give him a ring when Harry wasn’t even sure if he would accept the courtship proposal? 

There was only one way to know for sure, and that was to open the box. And yet Harry couldn’t seem to convince his fingers to tug on the green ribbon and open the little black box. 

“ _ I promise you it’s not a ring, if that is what is worrying you.” _ Harry’s eyes snapped up to look into an amused red gaze. If Harry didn’t know any better, he would guess that Voldemort was mentally laughing at him. “ _ I wonder where your Gryffindor bravery has gone? I promise there’s nothing dangerous in that little box.” _

With a huff of annoyance and a deep scowl, Harry grabbed the ribbon and tugged it right off the box. Without even waiting a second, he flipped open the lid of the black box to prove to Voldemort that he wasn’t scared of whatever the man had given him. 

As Voldemort had promised, there wasn’t a ring inside the box. Instead Harry stared down at a rather innocent looking emerald pendant that had a silver snake wrapped around the emerald stone. When he looked closely at the pendant, the snake's eyes were tiny rubies. The pendant was only about the size of a sickle and could easily fit under Harry’s shirt. 

Bewildered by the gift, as Harry wasn’t much of a jewelry person, he looked up at Voldemort in confusion. 

The man across from him looked very satisfied with the gift and was smiling ever so gently at Harry. 

“ _ I created and enchanted the pendant for you personally.”  _ Voldemort held out a hand for the box to be given back. Once he had it, Voldemort slipped the necklace out of the box and unclipped the clasp for Harry. “ _ This is known as a ‘Familiar’s Charm’. It’s used by wizards and witches to communicate with their familiars.”  _

Ever so slowly, Voldemort stood up and slithered close to where Harry was sitting. He waited a moment, to see if Harry would reject the gift, before hesitantly setting the pendant against Harry’s chest. When the boy pulled his hair out of the way, Voldemort’s heart soared. He quickly clipped the clasp in place and Harry’s hair fell back into place. 

“ _ After you place a drop of your familiar’s blood on the emerald, you’ll be able to speak to your familiar and understand what your familiar says in return.”  _ Voldemort’s fingers lingered on Harry’s shoulders, lightly touching Harry’s dark curls with the very tips of his fingers. 

After years of attending Hogwarts and seeing everyone with their own familiars, Harry had never even heard of something like the necklace Voldemort had given him. It seemed like such a useful thing to have, and yet he didn't know of anyone that had anything like it. Harry was sure Hermoine must have tried to find something like the pendant after she’d gotten Crookshanks, and yet she’d never said anything. 

“ _ It’s a complicated piece of magic and since it requires blood to work, many people believe this charm to be dark.”  _ Voldemort explained before Harry could ask him anything. “ _ It’s not illegal magic, but the ministry has censored the spell quite a bit, so not many people know about it.” _

Harry lifted the pendant from his chest to look at it again. As worried as he was about looking like a girl and wearing jewelry, the pendant wasn’t very feminine. It was something Harry could imagine he would have worn even before his inheritance. 

“ _ Do you approve of the gift?”  _

Even though Voldemort looked calm and collected, when Harry looked up at him, Harry could see a bit of a nervous glint in the man’s crimson eyes. His shoulders were tense and his Adam's apple was bobbing quickly as he swallowed. 

The pendant, and it's magic, was not something Harry had been expecting from Voldemort. Honestly Harry hadn’t known what he had been expecting from the dominant naga. The two of them knew almost nothing about each other, and yet Voldemort had given Harry something that he would truly like. 

“ _ I like it.”  _ Harry smiled shyly at Voldemort before smiling down at the pendant. His fingers twisted the emerald around and he grinned as the light sparkled in the tiny rubies. “ _ I just hope Hedwig is alright.”  _ He whispered as his smile turned into a sad frown. The pendant would be rather useless if anything had happened to Hedwig. 

Voldemort was once again smiling when Harry looked back up at him.  _ “Perhaps you would like the second part of your gift now?”  _ He held out a hand to Harry and just continued to smile when Harry frowned in confusion up at him. 

“ _ Second part?” _ He asked even as he took Voldemort’s hand without thinking. A small gasp slipped out of Harry as Voldemort pulled him up off of the couch. The sudden movement unbalanced Harry and he ended up tripping up a bit when his tail failed to uncoil fast enough. Harry ended up with his cheek pressed against Voldemort’s chest before his tail was finally stable enough for him to stand on his own. 

Harry couldn’t help but scowl at Voldemort as the man grinned mischievously at him. “ _ You did that on purpose!”  _ Harry hissed as he took his hand back from Voldemort. 

The scowl did nothing to deter Voldemort, who was still smirking at the smaller naga. Instead of responding to the accusation, Voldemort motioned for Harry to follow him out of the teen’s rooms. 

For a moment, Harry hesitated in the doorway of his rooms. He had no idea where Voldemort was taking him or what the ‘second part’ of his gift was. The man had unbalanced him with his thoughtful gift and Harry was left confused about his feelings. 

When he had been pressed up against Voldemort, even for a second, Harry had felt something strange in his chest. His heart had started racing, his body had felt hot, and his instincts had started literally purring in his head. Harry was sure if he’d been a cat, he would have physically started purring as well. His instincts had really liked the gift, and Harry could see why. Voldemort had taken what he did know about Harry, the common knowledge that just about everyone knew about, and had given him a gift based on that knowledge. 

Everyone knew about Harry’s owl and anyone that knew him at all knew about how much he loved Hedwig. 

“ _ Are you coming?”  _

Voldemort was halfway down the hall and Harry was still in his doorway, lost in thought. Flushing brightly in embarrassment, Harry hurried out of his room and practically slammed the door behind him. He was quick to catch up to Voldemort and pointedly ignored the curious arch of Voldemort’s brow. Harry scowled when he heard a soft chuckle come from the man next to him. 

Harry’s scowl only deepened when they made it to the stairs and Voldemort continued to chuckle as Harry struggled down the stairs. 

“ _ You are so awkward it’s adorable.” _

Harry hissed angrily at Voldemort as he practically dragged himself down the stairs using the banister. He was half tempted to just sit on the banister and slide down it instead of trying to slither his way down each step. 

The angry hissing from Harry didn’t phase Voldemort at all as he gracefully went down step after step with his own long white tail. “ _ Navigating stairs will come easier with time and practice. I’m sure you had quite a bit of trouble learning how to move around after your inheritance?” _

Instead of answering, Harry simply scowled at anything and everything. 

Again Voldemort chuckled, softer this time, as he waited at the bottom of the stairs for Harry to join him. 

“ _ I bet you thought you would never get used to slithering when you first started trying. Now you move around rather gracefully...when stairs aren’t involved.”  _

Harry flushed a bit and he felt an odd compulsion to smack Voldemort’s shoulder. “ _ Y-you’re teasing me!”  _ Harry all but gasped out when he realized Voldemort was being playful with him. 

Never in a million years would Harry ever had thought Voldemort, of all people, could be playful! If anything he would have thought Voldemort would always be stiff and polite in situations like this. Instead he seemed genuinely warm and light hearted. 

Was Voldemort so happy because Harry had accepted the pendant? It had been obvious at the time that Voldemort had been nervous about what Harry would think about the gift, but as soon as Harry had let him put it on him, the older naga had relaxed quite a bit. 

Just how worried at Voldemort been about Harry’s feelings? 

“ _ Perhaps I am, just a little.” _ In all honesty Voldemort couldn’t help how very happy he felt. For the last two and a half days, he had worked tirelessly to cut the emerald and rubies, mold the silver snake, and then enchant the entire thing. With how small the pendant was, the entire process had been extremely time consuming and delicate. “ _ There is no one here to see, so why not?” _

True to his word, Harry could neither sense, smell, or hear anything in the manor around them. For the first time in days, the halls of the manor were silent. Usually Harry could hear at least one or two people walking down the halls while he was out and about, but this time all he could hear was his own scales sliding against the wooden stairs. 

“ _ Many of my Death Eaters have school age children and are away helping them to prepare for their departures tomorrow. I have assigned missions to those that do not have such responsibilities.”  _ Voldemort explained as if he could understand the unspoken question on Harry’s mind. “ _ I wanted to ensure you and I had a private moment when I gave you your first gift.”  _

Voldemort’s voice had gone soft and gentle at those last words. The way he was looking at Harry, as if he were the most important person in the world, made Harry blush and look away in embarrassment. No one had ever looked at him like that before, not even Cho or Ginny. The warm way Voldemort was looking at him, his red eyes never leaving Harry’s face, made Harry’s heart flutter and thump hard in his chest. 

The small part of his mind whispered that it was too soon for him to be feeling things like this, that it was too soon for Voldemort to feel anything for him. Perhaps their instincts were just being over active and would settle down after a little while of spending time together. 

“ _ Shall we?”  _ Voldemort held out a hand to Harry, his palm up and his fingers slightly curved in invitation. 

Hesitantly, Harry reached out to take the offered hand once he was free of the stairs. That odd flutter in his chest returned as Voldemort’s long thin fingers curled around his hand. Just as he had expected it to be, that white scaled hand was cool against his skin. 

Hands clasped lightly together, Voldemort led the way through the manor in a direction Harry had not been before. Narcissa had been planning on giving Harry a tour a couple days ago, but after Harry's breakdown she had delayed her plans. 

“ _ So where are we going?” _ Harry asked as he was led this way and that until Voldemort opened a large dark wood door. A bright light nearly blinded Harry and he had to cover his eyes with his free hand until his sight could clear enough to find that the door had opened up to the back lawn. 

For a moment Harry nervously eyed the outside, half expecting the werewolf Greyback to jump out at him. 

“ _ You are safe with me.” _

There was a hint of laughter in Voldemort’s words and Harry glared at him for it. 

Seeing this side of Voldemort, this playful, laughing, teasing Voldemort, was throwing Harry for a loop. For years he’d only known Voldemort as psychotic, murdering, and insane. Even the younger version of Voldemort that had been in the diary had been distant and serious. This change in Voldemort really made Harry realize that he honestly knew nothing about the man. 

Obviously no one knew Voldemort very well. 

While Harry was having trouble coming to terms with this new side of Voldemort, the man himself was floating on the high he was feeling. Things were going exceedingly well with Harry so far, much better than Voldemort had been expecting. Harry had accepted the pendant Voldemort had carefully crafted for him, he was giving Voldemort a chance and trusting him enough to escort him out of his comfort zone. When he had offered his hand to the boy, Harry had taken it and had yet to let go. 

It gave Voldemort hope that things between them could continue to go well; even if they don’t end up courting. 

Voldemort did notice how nervous the younger naga was as he led him down a finely paved path. The boy’s eyes were darting from side to side, constantly looking at each shadow as if expecting an attack to happen at any moment. Voldemort couldn’t blame him for the paranoia. For years Harry had been attacked by various people and creatures, including by Voldemort himself. 

And yet, despite the sense of unease Voldemort was picking up from Harry, the younger naga still kept holding his hand and slithering along the path by his side. 

The walk outside didn’t take all that long before they arrived at a tall, circular, stone shed with windows high up close to the roof. Voldemort released Harry’s hand as he opened the door to the shed. He chuckled softly as the boy gave him such a confused stare. 

“ _ I believe you’ve been missing someone for the last few days.”  _

Before Harry could ask what was going on or make a comment, a flurry of white filled his vision and talons latched onto his shoulder through his shirt. It took a moment for Harry to realize that it was Hedwig that had landed on his shoulder and was now grooming his hair with her beak. 

“Hedwig!” Harry cried out and the happiest smile ever filled his entire expression. He cooed and rubbed his fingers through her feathers, his cheek pressed into her side as the two of them tried to get closer together. 

“Nagini spotted your owl beyond the wards at the border of the forest. There were several tracking and compulsion charms on your owl that took a couple days to safely remove.” Voldemort watched with a small smile as the boy and his familiar were reunited. “There is also a binding on the familiar bond between the two of you that I should be able to break now that you’re together.”

“Charms? Binding? What?” Even though Harry felt confused, he refused to stop petting Hedwig just as she refused to leave his shoulder. 

Voldemort sight softly and motioned for them to head over to a bench that was situated a little back down the path. “When I went to retrieve your owl and bring her through the wards, I found that there were several tracking charms on her. Such charms are the kind that take several days to apply and can cause quite a bit of pain. Normally they are quite difficult to detect and remove, but she was quite cooperative in their removal.” 

“Oh Hedwig!” Harry ran his fingers through her feathers worriedly. She cooed comfortingly and rubbed her beak against his head before nipping at his ear gently. 

“I can’t quite pinpoint when they were applied, but my guess would be sometime during this summer. The compulsions were much easier to remove seeing as how they weren’t meant for her, but for whomever she came into contact with.”

Anger filled Harry as he held Hedwig close. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who had put those spells on his dear owl and it royally pissed him off! “What were the compulsions?” Harry asked, his voice straining a bit as he fought not to lash out at the man next to him. Voldemort didn’t deserve his anger, and if anything Harry should be thanking him for everything that he had done for Hedwig. 

Voldemort sighed softly and schooled his expression. He should have known Harry would demand the truth from him. 

“Compulsions to read any letters she carried, to trust the senders of the letters, to obey what was written in the letters, and to not notice the tracking charms.” His listing of the compulsions was methodical and bland, like reading off a grocery list. 

With each spell listed, Harry felt more and more angry. If he had felt any doubt about whether or not the people he had once trusted had actually put those spells on Hedwig, it quickly went away. He felt so betrayed over this and he was even more determined in his decision to completely break away from the Order and anyone in the Order. 

He had trusted them! For years he had trusted them with his safety and welfare, to know what was best for him, and yet they had abused his trust. Worse yet, they had done so through his precious Hedwig. 

The spells weren’t the end of it though. “You said there was a binding?” Harry ground out, an itch in his gums from his fangs trying to drop down. 

“You won’t like it.” Voldemort warned him slowly. “This news will severely test your control over your temper and your magic.” 

“Just tell me.” Harry couldn’t stop hissing as he continued to pet his familiar. 

If it weren’t for the fact that Voldemort couldn’t remove the binding until Harry and Hedwig were together, he probably wouldn’t have said anything. Since the binding affected both of them, they had to be together for the removal to work. 

“It’s a binding on your familiar bond.” Voldemort said as bluntly as possible. “It keeps you and Hedwig from forming a full bond together.” 

Harry gaped at Voldemort in sheer shock. Having had no idea what a full familiar bond felt like, he’d probably never have known there was a binding in place. 

“Is it hurting her?” Harry growled out as he clung to Hedwig. The owl had moved from his shoulder to his lap once Harry had been sitting on the bench. He didn’t know what he would do if anything ever happened to his owl. 

“No. From what I can tell, the binding has been there since your first year. Because of that, your bond hadn’t fully formed before the binding was put into place.” Voldemort explained as calmly and evenly as he could. “The binding keeps your bond at the level it was when you were 11.” If the bond had been at its full potential when the binding had been put into place, then both Harry and Hedwig would have been in near constant pain. 

“Can you get it off?” Harry was barely holding onto his temper by the skin of his teeth. He could feel his fangs wanting to drop down from his gums and his magic was snapping beneath his skin. He wanted to find the person that had put the binding on his Hedwig and rip them to shreds! 

Voldemort nodded and he let out a small comforting rumble from his chest to try and keep Harry calm. 

“It’ll take a full day as the binding will have to be removed slowly. If I were to remove it all at once, the influx of your magic into the bond could harm your familiar.” Having figured Harry would want the binding off as soon as possible, Voldemort had already made the preparations and set up the ritual room. 

Harry was still ridiculously angry over what had happened to both himself and his familiar, but with Voldemort’s assurance that he could take the binding off, Harry was starting to feel a little more calm. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to destroy whoever had done all these horrible things, but at least he didn’t feel like he had to and hunt down the person right at that moment. 

He had an idea as to who had done it, as much as Harry didn’t want to believe it. He had trusted Dumbledore for so long, believing that the older man had only wanted what was best for Harry. It hurt knowing Dumbledore might have been the one to do this all those years ago. 

“I will do everything in my power to make this better Harry.” 

A light touch against his shoulder had Harry hissing softly and looking up sharply. Voldemort looked so serious and determined that Harry found himself believing in the Dark Lord’s words. 

“I swear to you Harry, I will make this right.” 

Although Harry didn’t know if he could trust Voldemort completely, he could at least trust him to keep his word. And that was enough for the young submissive naga for the time being. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update will still be Monday the 31st of August. 
> 
> Preview of next chapter: Voldemort loses his shirt and Harry gets horribly distracted by abs.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voldemort gives Harry the First Courting Gift (super important) and it actually turns out to be something that Harry will both want and use! Which surprises Harry to no end. And then the Dark Lord really surprises Harry by taking him to Hedwig, who Harry had been worrying about since being chased out of his forest home. The worst thing comes up though and Voldemort reveals that there were quite a few spells and bindings on Hedwig and the bond between Harry and Hedwig. Now Voldemort is taking Harry to a ritual room so that he can remove the bindings and finally allow Harry and Hedwig to have the bond that they were always meant to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! First off I want to say a big THANK YOU for all the support. You guys have no idea how much your comments actually help me get through my day to day life. This week has been hard, but the love and support I've been getting from you guys has really kept me going.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 19

It took a while of sitting on the bench next to Voldemort before Harry was able to calm down. He was still mad about everything that had happened to Hedwig, but at least he wasn’t actively trying to control his temper and magic. Instead of snapping and hissing beneath his skin, his magic felt more like it was lightly humming. 

“What will happen when the binding is taken off?” Harry asked once he was calmed down enough to do so. 

“Seeing as how your bond with your owl is already as strong as it is, I would imagine your bond will develop into a full familiar bond fairly quickly.” At least that’s what Voldemort theorized. “Once your bond is fully formed, your owl will be able to tap into a small portion of your magic. With that connection you’ll always be able to tell just how far away she is from you, she’ll be immune to most diseases and illnesses, her life span will increase dramatically, and she may develop a magical talent unique to each familiar.” 

It was a shock to learn that the binding on their bond had stopped so much of Hedwig’s potential and Harry fumed silently over that fact. 

“It was rather lucky that your bond formed as well as it did before the binding was put on your owl. There was just enough of a bond that allowed her to always be able to find you even through strong wards. Not all owls are able to form such a bond.” It was a compliment and Hedwig seemed to understand as such, seeing as how her feathers puffed up a little and she did a happy little wiggle in Harry’s lap. 

Since Harry was as calm as he could be, Voldemort stood up and motioned for Harry to come with him. “I’m sure you want to get the binding off as soon as possible and since we have the manor to ourselves we should probably make use of our time.” 

Harry nodded quickly and once Hedwig had transferred to his shoulder, he stood and went to move next to Voldemort as they returned to the manor. 

As they slithered back inside, Harry became lost in thought. He knew that everything Voldemort was doing for Hedwig was probably not a part of the original gift, that the pendant itself was meant to be the gift, and yet Voldemort had decided to do as much as he could to help Harry and his owl. 

Even if it had just been the pendant, Harry would have really appreciated the thoughtfulness behind the gift. Being able to talk to Hedwig, his first friend in life, would be absolutely amazing. 

He knew Voldemort hadn’t had to offer to remove the binding, that he could have said nothing about it and just left things how they were. Removing the tracking spells and compulsions had been simple logic, since Voldemort probably didn’t want anyone knowing where Harry was. To be perfectly honest Voldemort hadn’t had to tell Harry anything about the spells that had been on Hedwig, but he had. 

Voldemort was making an effort to be honest with Harry and to make sure he knew the truth about the situation, and Harry appreciated that. 

This entire situation was proof that Voldemort wanted to do what was right and to keep his promise about protecting Harry and making him happy. 

“The removal of the binding is going to end up being rather boring for you both I’m afraid.” Harry snapped out of his thoughts when Voldemort started to talk to him again. “You’ll need to sit in the center of a ritual circle, with Hedwig, skyclad, and with nothing around you. You’ll be sitting and doing nothing for hours.” 

Harry groaned in exasperation. He’d never really been good at sitting around doing nothing. At least whenever he’d been shut in his room back at the Dursley’s he’d had books to read. Sure he’d already read the books and the non magical ones were a bit destroyed because of Dudley, but he’d at least had something to do! 

“What’s skyclad?” Harry couldn’t help but ask as Voldemort led the way through the first floor of the manor. 

A small snicker from Voldemort had Harry glaring at the older naga. He hated it when people laughed at him because he didn’t know about something. It wasn’t his fault that he’d been left with muggles and that the Hogwarts curriculum was so lacking! It wasn’t his fault that Hermoine always took over the research work whenever Harry tried to read on his own. It wasn’t his fault that Ron seemed more interested in doing whatever he wanted than learning about the magical world he had grown up in. 

“ _ It means naked, young one.”  _

Harry really must have been out of it to have not noticed Nagini sliding up to them as Voldemort led the way through the halls. She started snickering as well when Harry’s cheeks became impossibly red. 

“ _ I would bet you’re thankful for your tail now. _ ” Voldemort’s snicker died down, but he was still smirking at Harry’s embarrassment. “ _ Thank you for joining us Nagini.”  _

_ “As if I would let you do this alone!”  _ Nagini looked rather offended that Voldemort would think she wouldn’t show up. 

“ _ Do what alone?”  _ Harry asked in confusion. He only kind of noticed when Voldemort led him into a very empty round room that had strange circles and runes drawn at the center. 

“ _ The ritual to remove the binding. Since the flow of magic needs to be consistent and evenly balanced throughout the ritual, it is best to have another being acting as an anchor to the magic user controlling the ritual.”  _ Voldemort explained as he started unbuttoning his own shirt. “ _ If you would remove your shirt and go into the center of the ritual circle, we can get started.” _

Harry felt like he was struck dumb when Voldemort removed his own clothing to reveal a nicely muscle toned chest. He wasn’t overly muscled, but his abs did look hard enough to knock his knuckles against. Harry couldn’t help but stare at the scales that wrapped around Voldemort from his back, covering his sides and a large portion of his chest and stomach. The older naga definitely had a lot more scales on his body than Harry did. The teenager felt an insane urge to trace the lines and patches of those white scales with his fingers.

“ _ Harry? Did you hear me?” _

“ _ Huh? Oh!” _ Harry’s entire face was red and even his neck had flushed with color when Voldemort caught him staring. “ _ I didn’t think you had to be, um, skyclad too.”  _ He said awkwardly as he turned away from Voldemort to remove his shirt. 

He felt oddly shyly in front of Voldemort even though it was just his chest that was bare to him. Voldemort had been right about Harry being thankful for his tail; he would have probably died if he’d had to be completely and utterly naked in front of the older man. 

“ _ I don’t have to be, but rituals do work better when one does not have any material blocking the flow of magic.”  _

Harry eyed Voldemort warily for a moment and he wondered if Voldemort was just going around bare chested to get Harry’s attention. If that was the older naga’s plan, it was sure working. Harry couldn’t seem to stop his gaze from drifting over to Voldemort to admire his toned shoulders and hard abs. 

“ _ Really now Harry, I will put my shirt back on if you don’t stop getting distracted.”  _

It took Harry a moment to realize he had stopped getting undressed, his arms stuck in his shirt, to watch Voldemort again. He couldn’t seem to stop staring at the man’s matte white scales. He’d never felt this weird warm feeling in his chest before, but for some reason every time he looked at shirtless Voldemort, his chest would get tight and hot. 

Harry quickly tossed his shirt to the side and went into the center of the rune circle where Hedwig was already waiting. 

Even though he had admonished Harry for staring, Voldemort was secretly pleased that the young submissive naga was paying so much attention to him. He even puffed out his chest a bit and cocked his hip to give more definition to his shirtless form. He doubted the boy even knew why he was staring so much, with how shy and naive he acted, but he was definitely not going to explain things to the boy. If Harry really was curious to learn more about what he was feeling, the naga book Voldemort had given him would help answer his questions. 

Ah, to be a hormonal 16 year old again. 

Voldemort snorted mentally at that thought and shook his head. He vaguely remembered his teenage years and how confused his hormones had made him. Up until his inheritance, Voldemort had found that he had zero interest in anyone physically. After his inheritance though, he’d found a strange physical attraction to various classmates. He’d fought it for awhile, intent on keeping his respectable, gentlemanly, top student reputation, but at some point during his 7th year Voldemort had finally snapped. 

He hadn’t suddenly become a lustful beast, no, but Voldemort had taken a few lovers that he could trust to be discreet throughout the year. 

From what he had learned from the naga book, that hormonal time after an inheritance was very common for dominants. During his travels to the various naga tribes, they’d confirmed what he had read about. 

A dominants instincts were nothing compared to those of a newly inherited submissive. Voldemort would have to make sure to get Harry to read the section of the naga book pertaining to submissives. 

“ _ Nagini, if you would please?”  _ Voldemort held out a hand for Nagini and waited until she had slithered up his body and draped herself across his shoulders. Because of how long and large she was, a large portion of her tail coiled around Voldemort’s chest and hips. “ _ Since we will be taking this slowly and carefully, you and your owl shouldn’t feel much. If anything you’ll maybe feel a light pressure in your chest.”  _

Harry nodded, once again finding himself unable to look away from Voldemort. His breathing had gotten faster and his cheeks had gotten hot watching Nagini slither and coil around Voldemort’s body. Her dark green, nearly black scales, against Voldemort’s matte white scales made a very striking picture that Harry wished he could have to keep in his photo album. 

“ _ Tell me immediately if you do start to feel pain, I’ll need to adjust the ritual accordingly.”  _

Again Harry nodded, only a small part of his brain aware of what Voldemort was telling him. The larger part of his mind was being taken over by his instincts which were purring over having such a powerful dominant in front of him. 

Now that his instincts had fully approved of the gift and everything that Voldemort was doing for him, Harry’s naga instincts were doing all they could to convince him that Voldemort would make a wonderful dominant to court. 

If it weren’t for the fact that Harry was so horribly distracted by Voldemort’s very handsome and drool inducing body, he might have been worried by how fast his instincts were becoming attached to Voldemort. 

Voldemort must have said something else, but Harry had missed it. If it weren’t for Hedwig nipping at his fingers Harry might have continued to be hypnotized by Voldemort. “Huh?” Harry rubbed at his fingers and glared with no real anger at his owl. 

The older naga rubbed at the bridge of his nose before repeating himself. “ _ As I was saying, this ritual could take anywhere between 5 and 13 hours. I want to start at a lower power level and work my way up gradually so that neither you nor your owl become overwhelmed. I need you to tell me when you feel a noticeable pressure in your chest.”  _ At least this time the boy was actually listening and not drooling. “ _ Once that occurs I’ll stop raising the power level. Anything more than a pressure in your chest and you will feel pain.”  _

This time when Harry nodded in understanding, it wasn’t just an automatic head movement. 

“ _ Make yourself as comfortable as you can Harry. We won’t be able to stop once we start and this will go much smoother if you aren’t moving around every few minutes.” _

As much as Harry was not looking forward to sitting around doing nothing for hours and hours on end, he at least knew what positions he would be the most comfortable in. So he coiled his tail around his body and then settled himself into the most comfortable resting position that he usually used when he was about to go to sleep on the ground. 

Hedwig also settled herself down so that she was nesting herself on the floor. 

“ _ Once I am able to level off the flow of power, you should be fine to take a nap.”  _

“ _ Wait,”  _ Harry frowned at Voldemort from where he was resting in his tail coil “ _ what are you going to be doing for 13 hours?”  _

Voldemort smirked a bit and his crimson eyes glittered in the warm light of the ritual room. “ _ Worried about me Harry? How kind of you.”  _ He chuckled when Harry stuck his tongue out at him. “ _ I’ll be chanting and controlling the ritual. 13 hours is nothing and this ritual is relatively simple in complexity. I’ve had to perform much more complicated rituals for much longer in the past.”  _

Before Harry could ask any more questions, either about the ritual that was about to be done or about the past rituals Voldemort had performed, the white naga lifted his hands to about chest height and began chanting in some strange melodic language that Harry didn’t recognize. 

Voldemort’s voice was a warm baritone that rumbled through the air in a melodic way. His voice never got louder than what he normally used to have a conversation, and yet it was all Harry could hear. The words Voldemort spoke formed their own sort of rhythmic flow with no end or beginning. Harry couldn’t even tell if Voldemort was repeating himself or not, he wasn’t even sure if Voldemort was stopping to take a breath!

Harry lost track of time as he listened to Voldemort chant. At some point Voldemort had closed his eyes and Harry figured it was so that he could better focus on the ritual. He was already growing bored and he had no idea how much longer they had to go. 

So Harry started doing what he normally did when stuck in his bedroom back at the Dursleys; he started counting things. First he counted how many runes were on the ground around him, very carefully moving his head so that he didn’t make any distracting noises. Then he started counting the cracks on the walls and ceiling. After that he started counting how many little scales he could see on his body.

It was after he’d gotten to 184 scales that he started to feel something in his chest. It wasn’t exactly pressure, not really, more like a fluttering. Hedwig shifted slightly next to him, but her eyes remained closed and her body relaxed. 

Once he had felt the fluttering in his chest, he started paying more attention to it. A few minutes passed and he began to notice that a comforting warmth was spreading from his chest to the rest of his body. If he had to compare it to anything, he would compare it to a hug from Luna; soft, warm, and, even with her small arms, all consuming. 

The fluttering grew stronger until it felt like someone was drumming a soft mallet against his chest. The pressure that Voldemort had asked him to keep an eye out for still wasn’t there, but Harry was pretty sure it would be soon. 

Hedwig shifted again and her wings fluttered ever so slightly. Harry could only guess that she was now feeling something from the ritual as well. 

It took a few minutes after that for the drumming to finally start to feel like a pressure. It didn’t bother Harry at all, in fact it felt like someone had just put their hand against his chest. There was no pain, no discomfort, just a pressure that Harry could easily forget about after a while. 

Through all of this, Voldemort continued to stand just outside of the rune circle with his hands raised, Nagini wrapped around him, and chanting in that sultry baritone voice of his. How he could keep on chanting like that, seemingly without stopping to breath, was beyond Harry’s understanding. 

At first the pressure wasn’t all that bad, more of a comfort really, but slowly it grew to be stronger. What started off feeling like someone pressing against his chest turned into what felt like someone laying bricks on his chest. 

“ _ Anymore and I’m going to have trouble breathing.”  _ Harry gasped out. He wasn’t in any pain, but he knew what it felt to have trouble breathing, what with how many times Dudley had purposefully sat on his chest to pin him down for a beating. 

Hedwig was also showing discomfort now, shifting around, standing up only to sit back down, and turning her head this way and that. 

Nothing changed in Voldemort’s posture or in his chanting, and yet the pressure that had been building up in Harry’s chest eased up just a bit. It was still uncomfortable, but at least Harry wasn’t afraid of losing his breath. He was glad to see that Hedwig also settled back down even if her feathers would ruffle now and then. 

Boredom became an irritating itch again once Harry had grown used to the constant pressure in his chest. It felt like the ritual had been going on for forever, but logically he knew that wasn’t the case. Maybe a couple hours had passed, but he knew they still had a long way to go. 

With the pressure constantly in his chest Harry doubted he would be able to take a nap like Voldemort had suggested. So he went back to counting his scales. It was boring, monotonous, repetitious, and Harry lost count a couple times, but it kept him busy. 

Just as he had thought, the constant pressure in his chest kept Harry from even a light doze. When he got to the point that counting Hedwig’s feathers became annoying, he started mentally going over everything he knew about the naga race. He hadn’t gotten to read much of the book yet so what he did know was very little. Once he’d gone over what he’d learned from the book, Harry began mentally reciting the stories that his mum had told him during the last month. 

He was halfway through a story about a great basilisk that had learned to swim through lava when a sharp stabbing pain struck his chest. 

Harry hissed and rubbed at his chest only for the pain to strike again. “ _ Hurts! It feels like I’m being stabbed!”  _ Harry cried out as he held his chest to try and stop another phantom stabbing. Hedwig screeched next to him and in a panic, Harry reached out to her to try and sooth whatever pain she was feeling. 

“ _ The binding is almost broken, but it is fighting the ritual.”  _ Nagini’s voice was barely audible under Voldemort’s chanting, but Harry could at least make out the words. “ _ Just a few more moments! Be strong!”  _

A small whimper escaped Harry as another sharp stab of pain went through him. Having been stabbed by the basilisk fang back in second year, and cut into during the tournament, he knew what it felt like to be stabbed. He would live through it, Harry just hated that Hedwig had to feel pain as well. She screeched again and Harry ignored his own pain to smooth down her feathers in an attempt to comfort her. 

“Hold on Hedwig. Just a little longer!” Harry whispered as he bit back a sob. His chest felt like it was on fire now along with the stabbing pain. 

Just as fast as the pain had started, it suddenly stopped. Everything stopped in that moment; the chanting, the pressure, Hedwig’s screeching, and the pain. It was like the world had frozen in that moment and only Harry’s mind was working. He could still see the world around him, still feel Hedwig’s feathers against his skin, smell the woodsy musk that was Hedwig’s scent, he could even hear himself breathing in shallow ragged breaths. And yet still the world felt frozen and detached. 

And then Harry felt something like a pop inside of him, like a little soap bubble being touched in the air, and everything went back to normal. He sucked in a deep mouthful of air and found that his shoulders had started to shake. 

“ _ Easy now. The magical whiplash will wear off quickly.”  _

Harry hadn’t realized his eyes had grown teary and wet until he’d turned to look at Voldemort, who was blurry to Harry’s sight. The pain had been bad, but it was nothing compared to the beatings his uncle would belt out. At least the pain this time hadn’t left any marks. With that in mind, Harry wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. 

“ _ The binding is gone and the familiar bond between you and your owl has been freed.”  _ Very slowly, so as not to startle the boy or his owl, Voldemort reached out to gently touch Harry’s shoulder. “ _ It may take some time before your magic grows used to the bond, but the more time you spend with your owl the faster you both will acclimate.”  _

From his arms, Hedwig hooted softly and then clicked her beak a couple of times. Harry got the distinct impression that his beautiful snowy owl wanted to spread her wings after hours and hours of being forced to sit in one place. 

With a small laugh, Harry let Hedwig hop out of his lap. The room was quite large and the ceiling pretty high up so Hedwig had plenty of space to spread her wings and glide around for a few minutes. 

“ _ Do you know how long it's been?” _ Harry asked as he stretched his own arms up over his head. He could definitely understand Hedwig’s need to stretch. 

“ _ A little over 7 hours. You and your owl were able to handle more ritual magic than I had first expected, so the ritual went by fairly quickly.”  _

Voldemort was smirking at him again and it made Harry’s stomach flip flop a bit. The man was still shirtless and Harry was having a hard time keeping himself from looking at that smooth chest. 

“ _ S-seven hours?!”  _ It took a moment for it to hit him just how long he’d been sitting inside of the ritual circle. It boggled his mind how Voldemort had been able to stand for so long chanting! “ _ How is your throat not sore?”  _

Obviously Harry really didn’t know much about how rituals worked. Perhaps, if the teen was interested, Voldemort might be able to find someone to tutor Harry in different types of magic. “ _ Ritual magic is rather complicated. As long as the caster has control of their magic and knows what they are doing, they are not affected by the passing of time.”  _ Voldemort reached up to run his fingers along the side of Nagini’s head. “ _ Having an anchor also helps. The anchor is able to take any pain or tension away for a time so that the flow of magic does not become too much for the caster to handle.” _

Upon closer examination, Harry found that Nagini had fallen asleep on Voldemort’s shoulders. 

“ _ Nagini will sleep for the next day or so, and then complain about me starving her if I don’t have a basket of rats waiting for her.”  _

Voldemort sounded so very fond of the snake and his eyes were warm as he looked at the snake draped across his shoulders. It wasn’t an expression Harry was used to seeing, but it definitely looked good on him. 

Before anything else could be said between them, Harry’s stomach let out a loud rumble. His cheeks heated up instantly in an embarrassed flush and he quickly covered the offending area of his body with his arms. 

“ _ For you though, the passage of time is perfectly normal.”  _ As much as he tried not to, Voldemort was chuckling at Harry’s embarrassment. “ _ We cannot eat in the ritual room, would you prefer returning to your rooms or the garden for dinner?” _

Since 7 hours had passed, the Malfoy family would have returned from their day out. Even so, Voldemort really did not want to share his evening meal with them. Instead he would rather spend his time with Harry, since the younger submissive seemed so receptive to his presence currently. 

Seeing Hedwig gliding around the room still, Harry decided against returning to his rooms. “ _ The garden would be good.”  _ He didn’t want to be away from Hedwig quite yet, worried that she might still be in a little pain from the end of the ritual. He got a feeling she didn’t want to be away from him either. 

“ _ Is it normal to get feelings from your familiar?”  _ Harry wondered aloud as Hedwig swooped down to land on his shoulder after Harry had pulled his shirt back on. 

“ _ Perfectly normal. The stronger the bond, the clearer the feelings. Once we’re out in the garden we can activate your pendant so you two can chat.”  _

Excitement filled Harry as he remembered exactly why he had gone through 7 hours of sitting around bored. Having his bond with Hedwig clear of any binding was great, but he really wanted to talk to his owl for the first time ever. 

“ _ Come along. We’ll eat first so that you don’t get horribly distracted by your owl and forget to eat.”  _ The childish glare he got from the younger naga had Voldemort chuckling softly again. How had he never noticed just how cute Harry Potter was?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that we are at the end notes, I'll do a little Authors notes for you guys about what has been happening and what I am planning for this fic: 
> 
> As stated in previous chapters, I have severe depression. It gets better with the amount of medication I take, but meds can only do so much. This week wasn't the best, but all of your support and the love from my husband kept me going. I was able to get past the demon in my head telling me that my writing sucks and to just give up. So for the peeps that don't think leaving comments actually does anything? It does. Even if it's just a string of hearts or a "chapter kudos". It gives me an extra spoon to use during my day. Also, I'll be starting a new job on September 10th, so my writing will slow down considerably. I'll still be posting a chapter a week, so the job shouldn't impact the story too much. 
> 
> Ok! Fic info!: 
> 
> This fic is going to be LONG. It's only been a week for Harry at Malfoy Manor and it's been...how many chapters? Let's just say week 2 doesn't end until chapter 35. The reason it's taking so long for time to pass is because I have a heck of a lot of information that needs to make it into the story before Harry actually says 'yes' to the courtship. I dislike doing summary chapters that are like "And this is what happened during the massive time skip!". As of chapter 35 though, there's only 1 more major event that needs to happen before I can do a time jump. That time jump is going to take Harry to a month past his arrival at Malfoy Manor. He's not actually going to say yes to the courting until then (so Voldemort is going to just keep giving Harry little gifts throughout that entire month). The reason he says yes THEN is because it is a huge step in the right direction to Harry trusting Voldemort. It gets Harry past his guilt (at least a little) of dating his parents murderer. 
> 
> Now for my final decision about Harry's relationship with Voldemort: 
> 
> For the people that follow me on Tumblr, you know that I've made comments about a possible triad with Harry, Voldemort, and an OC. I was really heavily on the fence about it and when I had first started writing this, that's what I was planning on. With how this fic has developed, I've finally decided that no, there will be no triad. It's going to be strictly Harry and Voldemort. Maybe in the future I'll write a harem/triad fic, but SSST will not be it. HOWEVER, I will say that Harry will have a crush on another dominant that catches his eye. It'll be short lived, but it will happen. He is a teenage boy after all. 
> 
> To continue on the relationship between Harry and Voldemort, as well as the hinted 'heat' that submissives go through: Harry and Voldemort do NOT have sex until after Harry's 17th birthday. Yes he goes through a spring heat, but unlike ABO style stories, he's not going to be all "OMG must have MATE". He'll be uncomfortable, crabby, cranky, and horny all at the same time. He'll also have very fun dreams involving Voldemort, but nothing past that. There will be an entire part of the story about Voldemort's discomfort as he realizes just how LARGE of an age difference there is between him and Harry. 
> 
> This story is about building a relationship, coming to terms with personal issues, and learning that life is worth living. There will be some action, but it's not a major plot point. The Order will make an appearance or two, Harry will have to deal with a small battle, but for the most part Harry's role in the war is OVER. 
> 
> Thanks for being patient while I rambled my way through this AN, but I wanted to get all these points out there. 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 7th of September. Next time: After eating some food, Harry gets to actually talk to Hedwig! He learns some very upsetting things and accidentally sets the garden gazebo on fire.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The familiar bond between Harry and Hedwig is finally free from bindings! After hours of Harry and Hedwig sitting in a ritual circle and being bored to death. All that's left is for Harry to activate the familiar pendant that Voldemort had given him and to have a nice long chat with Hedwig. After eating some dinner of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh guys, thank you so much for all the support you've given me this last week! I wasn't able to reply to every single comment, but I did try. So thank you! Thank you so much for everything! I actually cried a couple times reading your comments (happy tears). I can't even begin to express my gratitude for all the support, comments, and kudos that have been pouring in this week. 
> 
> So please accept my paltry thanks. Onto the story!

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 20

Standing up proved to be a bit of a challenge for Harry. It felt like pins and needles were pricking all along his tail and he felt like he was trying to stand up on jello. Hands on his arms helped steady Harry just long enough for him to get feeling back into his tail. 

“ _ Shall we?”  _

The walk to the garden through the manor was on the slow side as Harry had trouble getting his tail to cooperate. More than once he ended up accidentally leaning against Voldemort to regain his balance after stumbling, which had Harry turning red and mumbling apologies each and every time it happened. 

Even though she would click her beat in agitation every time Harry stumbled, Hedwig remained on his shoulder the entire way. At one point Voldemort tried to encourage Hedwig to fly ahead of them, but she just slapped him with a wing and started grooming Harry’s hair with her beak, glaring at Voldemort with her yellow eyes. 

“ _ My Hassis!”  _ To Harry’s surprise both Hassaria and Lash were already in the garden when they finally made it. “ _ Are you alright? You are moving much too slowly! You were not in your rooms when we returned from hunting. Are you hungry? Your stomach rumbles so loudly, Hassis!”  _

Harry heard Voldemort snickering next to him as his mother snake proceeded to worry over every little thing about him. 

“ _ Blessed Nagini asked us to wait for you either in your rooms or out here. She said you would be busy with the Blessed dominant for some time.”  _

_ “Mum’s been going stark raving mad!”  _ Lash piped up from his spot next to the blue roses. His stomach was bulging from what Harry assumed was a frog he must have eaten recently. “ _ She thought that the Dominant had kidnapped you.”  _

_ “Shush Lash!”  _ Hassaria swung her head around to hiss at the young grass snake. “ _ I knew you were not kidnapped, Hassis, but I did worry quite a bit when you never showed back up in your rooms.” _

Hedwig waited an extra moment to finish grooming Harry’s hair before she took off from his shoulder to perch herself on the roof of the gazebo. 

“ _ Oh! It’s the birdy!”  _ Lash grinned as he attempted to find a way to slither his way up one of the gazebo poles to get at Hedwig. 

With his shoulders free, Hassaria instantly coiled her way up Harry’s body so that she could happily drape herself across his shoulders around his neck. Her tongue flicked out constantly to scent the air close to Harry’s cheek. 

“ _ Perhaps we could eat while you catch up with your mother?”  _

In the time Harry had been dealing with his snake mum worrying over him, Voldemort had called for his house elf and ordered up some dinner for them. 

As was typical for his meals lately, the food presented to them consisted mostly of slices and cubes of raw meat, various fruits and nuts, a small platter of cheese, and even a small plate of lightly roasted mushrooms. There were a few other things, such as mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, and a couple rolls that had been placed on the side of the table where Voldemort was sitting. 

Dinner was quiet between the two naga. Every once and a while Voldemort would carefully adjust Nagini on his shoulders so that the large snake wouldn’t become uncomfortable while sleeping. Hassaria kept cooing gently against Harry’s cheek and would pester him to eat more and more of the meat whenever he would start to slow down. Lash had given up trying to get to Hedwig, who would move to another part of the Gazebo roof whenever Lash got too close, and had decided to join them at the table, where he curled up to sleep off his own meal. 

Harry would have thought a dinner with just the two of them, even with their snakes, would be awkward. Instead he found it to be rather relaxing. Voldemort wasn’t trying to start a conversation nor was he watching Harry in any obsessive way. Instead the older naga was just serenely eating his food and glancing up at Harry every now and then. 

Eventually Harry couldn’t eat anything else, even with his mum prodding his cheek to get him to eat more. He pushed his plate away and leaned back in his seat comfortably. 

It was nice just listening to the sounds of the garden during the summer evening. There were still a few birds out singing to each other, Harry could hear some frogs croaking off and on in the distant, Hedwig was letting out little rumbling hoots now and then, and there was a light breeze rustling the high hedge walls. 

He could almost forget that this was the Malfoy Manor and that the Dark Lord was sitting across from him under a gazebo. 

“Would you like to activate your familiar pendant now, or back in your rooms?” 

Voldemort’s voice was soft, almost like a whisper, as if he didn’t want to disturb Harry at all. If he could have let Harry stay in the garden chair all night, he would have. But it was the last day of August and that meant the evenings were becoming cooler and cooler. Voldemort didn’t need his instincts to tell him that leaving a submissive out in the cold was a horrible idea. 

“Hm?” Harry found that he had actually started dozing in his seat, comforted by his mother’s weight on his shoulders and the soft sleepy hisses from his brother. With the fresh open air and the sounds of nature, he had felt like he was back in the forest without a care in the world. 

The lazy way Harry cracked open an eyelid to stare at Voldemort had the older naga smiling ever so softly. He was loathed to disturb him, especially when Harry looked so very content, but they still had one last thing to do tonight before retiring. 

As if sensing that she was needed, Hedwig swooped down and landed on the recently cleared gazebo table. She eyed Lash, who was still sound asleep, for a moment to make sure he wouldn’t try and start bothering her. 

It took all of a second for Harry to remember what it was they had come to to do in the garden, besides eat, and he quickly pulled the pendant free from under his shirt. The emerald glittered in the evening light and Harry couldn’t help but stare into the ruby eyes of the silver snake wrapped around the emerald. 

Only an idiot would misinterpret the symbolism of the design. 

“What do I need to do?” Harry asked as he carefully unclipped the necklace to set it on the table. He was pretty sure the chain wouldn’t be quite long enough for whatever it was that needed to be done. 

“You’ll need to place a drop of your owl’s blood onto the emerald of the pendant. The magic of the pendant will absorb the blood and will work so long as you are wearing the necklace.” Voldemort explained as he wordlessly transfigured a small stick into a simple needle. “If you want to lock the pendant so only you can use it, you’ll need to place a drop of your own blood onto the pendant afterwards.” 

Making it so no one else could understand Hedwig seemed like a good idea to Harry. He took the offered needle and then eyed Hedwig nervously. He hated the idea of hurting his own, even for just a single drop of blood, so he hesitated to bring the needle close to her. Was he supposed to prick her foot, wing, or someplace else? 

Hedwig took the decision out of Harry’s hand and before he could even stop her or do it himself, Hedwig lifted a foot, brought a toe down on the needle, and then set the pricked appendage down onto the emerald pendant. The emerald gave off a small glow for a moment when a drop of Hedwig’s blood fell onto it. Once that was done, Voldemort waved his wand and wordlessly healed the little pinprick so that Harry wouldn’t have to worry about his owl being hurt. 

“You definitely have a very intelligent owl for a familiar.” 

Harry grinned in pride for his owl at the compliment. He knew his owl was amazing and it was always wonderfully when someone else noticed. Ron and Hermoine had made comments now and then, but they had acted like Hedwig was just like any other owl. Ginny had shown more interest in Hedwig, but mostly because Harry would let the younger Weasley girl use Hedwig to send letters home from Hogwarts. 

Mostly people only ever noticed how beautiful Hedwig was, not how intelligent she was. 

“Your turn.” Voldemort pointed at the needle to remind Harry that he would need to prick himself as well. 

With a sigh, Harry quickly pressed the needle to a finger tip with a small wince until a drop of blood welled up on his skin. 

Memories of the last time he’d lost blood in the presence of Voldemort surfaced and Harry shivered a little. This was nothing like then, and this one little drop of blood wasn’t going to be used for anything other than what Harry wanted. The emerald gave off another glow as he let the drop of blood land on it and Harry quickly stuck his abused finger into his mouth to sooth the break in his skin. 

“The pendant will now allow you to speak with your owl and she will be able to speak with you in return.” Voldemort explained once the process had been completed. “It will feel similar to parseltongue, but you will be speaking English the entire time. I would suggest you avoid having detailed conversations with your owl around anyone you do not trust.” 

“Her name is Hedwig you know.” For the entire time Voldemort had been talking about Hedwig, Harry had yet to hear the man say his owl’s name. 

For a split second, Voldemort looked at Harry with a confused frown before it cleared up in understanding. 

“Names have power in the magical world. Just as it is considered impolite to use someone’s given name without permission, so it is true with the name of another’s familiar.” Once again Voldemort felt irritation at severe lack of proper education Hogwarts was giving its children. 

“Seems like a load of bollocks to me.” Harry muttered as he picked up the pendant to take a close look at it. If he hadn’t just seen the blood land on the emerald, he would have never thought it had happened. The emerald was perfectly clean and even looked shinier than it had a few minutes ago. 

Of course the boy would think that; he had no idea just how many spells, rituals, and even potions relied on the use of a person's chosen name. It’s the reason why so many magicals did not give out their middle name to anyone unless they completely trusted the other person. 

The boy really did need a proper education now that he was free of Dumbledore and his biased teachings. 

“The one who put the binding on your owl had to use her name and your name to do so.” Voldemort pointed out as Harry clipped his necklace back on. He couldn’t help but smirk in pride at seeing Harry wearing the gift that Voldemort had painstakingly made. 

“What?” Harry froze in shock at that revelation. 

“It’s true. Since I doubt the person who placed the binding on your owl did so with you present, they would have had to use your name and some sort of an effigy of you.” There were so many things that Voldemort wanted to teach Harry, to get him caught up to the level he should be at, but at that moment Voldemort was interrupted by a very irate screech from Hedwig. 

“ _ Could we focus please! I would like to hunt soon.”  _

Harry turned and stared at his owl in shock. He had never imagined he would ever hear Hedwig speak, so he had never thought about what she would sound like. She didn’t sound girly at all, no high pitched female voice, but she also didn’t sound like an adult woman would. Her voice was somewhere in the middle with a scratchy undertone. 

Her voice disturbingly reminded Harry of his aunt Petunia’s voice, but without the hatred and disgust that was normally focused his way. 

“Hedwig?” Harry hesitantly reached out to gently touch the feathers on the side of Hedwig’s neck. 

“ _ Hello Harry.”  _ Her voice softened as she turned her head to look into the eyes of her boy. “ _ Thank the red eyed one for what he has done. I have tried to break the spell on us for years, but I am not magic like you. There was only so much I could do.”  _

_ “ _ She says thank you.” Harry relayed the message with awe in his eyes. Despite the similarity to his aunt’s voice, it was still amazing to hear Hedwig speaking to him. 

“Hedwig…” There were so many things Harry wanted to say to his owl, his first friend, but it was hard trying to come up with the right words. He wanted to apologize for never noticing that they hadn’t fully bonded even though he had no idea what a familiar bond was supposed to feel like. He wanted to apologize for his uncle locking her up during the summers. He especially wanted to apologize for ever doubting her when she hadn’t returned during the summer. 

It was like Hedwig could sense Harry's inner turmoil. She shuffled close to her boy and rubbed her head against Harry’s forehead since his cheek was occupied by Hassaria. “ _ Nothing is your fault Harry.”  _ Perhaps she could get a sense of his feelings like he could hers? “ _ You have done your best taking care of me and that is all I could ever ask for.”  _

_ “ _ Does your owl know who did this to the both of you?” Voldemort asked gently, trying not to disturb the boy and his familiar too much. 

Hedwig didn’t need the pendant's magic to understand the words Voldemort spoke; she’d been around humans almost all of her life and had learned quite a bit. 

She clicked her beak irritably as she gave her answer. “ _ The old one with the long white hair and strange robes.”  _ Hedwig had never liked the old man, even before he had cast all those spells on her. The first time she’d seen him the morning after arriving in the big stone place, she’d clawed at his hand. 

It took Harry a moment to connect the dots, and when he did he was both furious and absolutely devastated. He had been slowly losing faith in Dumbledore throughout the summer, and started to realize just how manipulative and controlling the man had been through Harry’s years at Hogwarts, but a small part of him and tried to trust that Dumbledore would never do anything to harm Harry. 

That trust was irrevocably shattered now. Harry should have trusted his instincts since the moment they had appeared inside of him after his inheritance. They had whispered to him that Dumbledore could not be trusted, his instincts had known before Harry’s conscious mind that the elder man had been a danger to Harry, and yet Harry had still tried to be logical about things. 

“ _ I can take a guess as to who it was.”  _ The heart crushing sorrow that was coming off Harry was enough for Voldemort to make a guess as to whom the owl had revealed. Voldemort was not surprised in the least that it had been Dumbledore, he would have been in real shock if it hadn’t been the old man, but it seemed he should have prepared Harry better for the inevitable truth of just what kind of man Dumbledore was. 

“ _ B-but why? Why would he do something like this?”  _ Harry was fighting with himself to keep from crying or screaming. He was already tired enough from the magical whiplash from the ritual, he didn’t want to have another breakdown after having finally recovered emotionally from the last one. “ _ What was so bad about Hedwig and I having a full familiar bond?” _

Voldemort could think of many things that would have made Dumbledore’s plans more difficult if the boy had a full and true bond with his owl. He was a Slytherin and could come up with just as many reasons as the master manipulator. 

Perhaps at one time Dumbledore had been trying to do what he thought was right, what would help with the ‘great good’, but the old man had completely forgotten how his plans would affect his pawns. Voldemort had seen the results with himself, with Severus, and now with Harry. 

“ _ I can give you theories, but only Dumbledore would know the real reason why.”  _ Voldemort gave as neutral a response as he could. As much as he wanted to turn Harry from the light and bring him completely to Voldemort’s side of things, he didn’t want Harry to end up hating him because he tried to manipulate him as well. The teenager had already had enough manipulation in his young life, he didn’t need any more. 

If Voldemort ever tried to manipulate Harry and the boy figured it out, he knew he would forever lose whatever trust Harry had in him. 

Harry cursed softly and he balled up his hands into tight fists against the table. He could hear his mum whispering softly in his ear that everything would be alright, that he would never have to go back to the old man again, and it did help him a little with controlling his temper. 

“Did he put other spells on you Hedwig?” Harry’s voice broke a little as he tried to keep his temper in check. He was not angry and Hedwig and he would NOT take out his anger on his sweet owl. 

Hedwig bobbed her head in a semblance of a nod. “ _ Every year before we return to the small place with the loud angry people, he comes and puts spells on me. This summer he stopped me at the home of red heads and put even more strange spells on me.”  _ Hedwig had wanted to return to her boy sooner, but as soon as she had arrived at the Burrow, she had been trapped inside of a cage. “ _ I did not know what they were, but I could feel them.”  _

There was a loud cracking sound as one of the supporting poles of the gazebo splintered vertically down the middle. Voldemort quickly repaired the damage with a flick of his wand and contemplated summoning a calming draught for the furious boy sitting across from him. He had no idea what the owl was saying, but he was sure it would only take one guess to get the right answer, based on how angry Harry was getting. 

The way Hedwig was shifting from foot to foot after she stopped speaking concerned Harry. “What’s wrong Hedwig?”

For a moment Hedwig stayed silent, unsure of how her boy would respond to the other things he needed to know. She knew how volatile his magic could be when he was truly angry, and she hated seeing him in such much emotional anguish. 

“ _ I tried my best, but I failed you this summer.”  _ Hedwig practically whispered in grief. “ _ The young male red head that would sit with you and the bushy haired one did not send you letters, but others did. The matching red haired ones wrote letters to you many times whenever I came to them. As did the soft blond girl and the quiet brown haired boy.”  _ Even though she’d been around all of the children Harry had chosen to befriend, she had never really gotten to know their names. It was easier to remember what the symbols that represented each person looked like, seeing as how she had delivered so many letters to them in the past from her boy. “ _ I tried to bring them to you, but every time I came close to the small place, they would vanish from my grasp.” _

_ “ _ So my mail was being intercepted!” Harry burst out and started hissing angrily. He had been so confused as to why none of his friends had been writing him over the summer, especially those that usually sent him care packages and gifts on his birthday, and now he knew why. Just like the summer before his second year, his mail had been intercepted for some unknown reason. 

When Hedwig lowered her head in shame, Harry calmed down almost immediately. “It wasn’t your fault Hedwig! You were just doing what you do best, there’s nothing you could have done to have stopped the spell.” It had to have been some sort of spell to have made his mail vanish from Hedwig. 

For a post owl, being unable to deliver letters was the ultimate shame. All owls were trained from their early years how to carry and deliver mail from one place to another. They were gifted with a very unique magic that would allow them to always know where each letter was meant to go. If one tried to use a mundane owl, they would have no idea what to do with the letter or package. If a magical owl could not deliver their burden, then that made them no better than their mundane relatives. 

Hearing that her boy did not blame him for her failure cheered Hedwig up. She still felt bad about it, especially after what had happened years ago with the small big eared creature, but knowing that her boy understood the dilemma made a world of difference. 

Now that she would have a full bond with her boy, like it should have been back when they first met, Hedwig would be able to make sure that no future letter was stolen from her!

“There’s something else...isn’t there?” Harry asked slowly when he felt another moment of hesitation from Hedwig. He had picked up on her relief pretty quickly as well and he was glad to have been able to make her feel better. 

“ _ It is...hard to explain.”  _ Hedwig admitted as she fought to figure out how to tell her boy what had happened this summer. She was an owl, with limited knowledge of how humans did things. It wasn’t like she could just tell Harry what had happened to her in her own words and expect him to understand everything. 

She could at least try though. “ _ Early this summer, I heard the fully grown ones talking. They were worried about how you destroyed the old one’s office.”  _ It was best for her to start at the beginning. “ _ They said they were losing control of you and worried about what to do.”  _

Harry scoffed angrily. If they hadn’t been a bunch of stupid adults they would have realized that he’d destroyed Dumbledore’s office because the man hadn’t thought to tell him the truth about his situation sooner. All he had ever wanted was to not be treated like an ignorant child. If Dumbledore, or anyone else for that matter, had told him the truth about the Department of Mysteries, Harry wouldn’t have tried to go there to save Sirius. He would have known it was a trap to get him there to get the prophecy. 

So he had lashed out. He had destroyed Dumbledore’s office because they hadn’t trusted him to be mature enough to know the truth and because of that he had lost his godfather. 

If they had just been honest with him…

“ _ They talked about making another you and using the other you to keep the world light?”  _ Most of the conversation Hedwig had overheard hadn’t made sense to her. She had no idea how people could make a copy of her boy nor what they had meant about the world being light and dark. 

“Wait what? Another me?” After what he had heard from Lucius that first night Harry had arrived, it seemed that the Order had succeeded in making a duplicate of him. He had at first thought maybe they’d just had Tonks pretending to be him, or someone using polyjuice potion, but it had never occurred to him that they would make an entirely new version of him. 

Harry swiveled his head around to stare at Voldemort. “Is it possible to make a copy of a person?” He had to know the truth! If there really was a copy of him running around...well, Harry had no idea how to feel about that. In a way it gave him absolute freedom to just get out of the war, but on the other hand he hated the idea that someone or something else had taken over his life. 

Voldemort tilted his head a little, but he nodded. “There are multiple ways to create a doppelganger of a person. It all depends on the ingredients and the ritual used.” Technically speaking the body he had now was a form of a doppelganger, just more alive and more real. This body had been rapidly grown and normally would just act like a doll would, mindless and only able to follow the most basic of orders, but because Voldemort had placed his very soul into the body, it had come alive for him. 

“If they have another me, then why did they come after me?” Harry demanded, fire in his eyes and a snarl on his lips. “They don’t need me anymore.”

“That is where you would be wrong.” Of all the ways Voldemort could name to create a duplicate of Harry, each and every way had a downside. Almost all of the doppelgangers would require something permanent to keep them active and whole, otherwise they would deteriorate and fall apart after a while. “I would imagine your doppelganger cannot use magic at all and that the body will be falling apart with time. They are probably using it as a temporary measure until they figure out a way to completely control you.”

Harry gagged and sputtered in indignation. Now that he knew for sure that the Order just wanted to control him, there was no way he would give them the chance to get their hands on him. 

“ _ I saw the fake you.”  _ Hedwig piped up when Voldemort and Harry fell quiet. “ _ They tried to do something that would make a fake bond between me and it, to bind me to it, but the magic would not work.”  _ The snowy owl sounded extremely proud over the fact that they had failed to trick her bond with her boy. 

“THEY DID WHAT?!” And with that the roof of the gazebo burst into flames. The fire didn’t last long thanks to a quick downpour of water that Voldemort had summoned, but it had left a few scorch marks that Harry’s magic seemed to have made permanent. 

  
“What did they do?” Voldemort asked tentatively, nervous about causing Harry to lash out with his magic again. 

“They- They tried to,” Harry had trouble even saying it, it made him so mad. He forced himself to breath through his nose before trying again. “They tried to bind Hedwig to the fake me!” 

Voldemort actually snorted at that and his mirth earned him a scowl from Harry. “It would have never worked and it just proves how much of an idiotic group Dumbledore’s little Order is.” He told Harry with a bit of a dark chuckle. “A familiar bond can only transfer to another if their first bonded dies. And even then most familiars die before they can bond to another. Not only that, but a bond can only form with someone with magic. A doppelganger of you cannot have magic seeing as how it is not truly alive without a soul.” 

It did make him wonder what the Order really was planning though. Dumbledore should have known that such a scheme wouldn’t have worked, and yet he had tried anyway. 

The knowledge that what the Order had tried to do wouldn’t have worked didn’t really calm Harry down. He was still incensed that they had tried to break his bond with his owl in the first place!

“ _ Harry, I might be able to find out more about what they did if I were to look into your familiar’s mind.”  _ Voldemort said slowly. Legilimency was normally only ever done on humans, most animals did not have the intellect to handle a human looking into their mind. Harry’s owl had already proven how intelligent she was so she might be able to handle him peeking into her memories so long as he did so slowly and gently; not at all what he normally did to his followers. 

“ _ If we know what sort of magic they used, we will be able to prevent them from using it against you.”  _ Voldemort added before Harry could question him about it. “ _ If you say yes, I swear I will be as gentle as I can.” _

Harry did want to know everything that had happened, he hated not having all the pieces of this particularly rage inducing puzzle, but he also didn’t want to risk Hedwig’s health and wellbeing. But now that he could talk to her, he could ask her about what she wanted!

“Hedwig, Voldemort wants to know if he can look into your mind to see what they were doing to you.” Harry gently pet down her ruffled feathers, which had puffed up when Harry’s magic had slipped out. “He’ll be able to see your memories exactly how they happened.”

“ _ Oh! Yes that would make this easier!”  _ Hedwig knew there was a great deal that had happened that she had no way to describe to her boy. She didn’t want to leave out any detail that might be important to him. “ _ Please let him do so Harry.”  _

Still, even with Hedwig’s permission, Harry hesitated. He remembered what it was like having Snape dig into his mind again and again while trying to teach him occlumency. He remembered the pain he had felt during the attacks, the splitting headaches afterwards, and how exhausted he always felt afterwards. He never wanted Hedwig to ever go through something like that! Ever!

_ “I will not hurt her Harry, this I swear.”  _

He knew he could trust Voldemort, to a point, but Harry was still worried. He could trust Voldemort to not intentionally hurt him, to tell him the truth about things, but could he trust the Dark Lord with Hedwig? 

Harry’s instincts told him that yes, he could trust the dominant with his precious familiar. After everything Voldemort had done for them today, to not only reunite Harry and his owl, but to bring them closer together, Harry’s instincts could not feel any sort of distrust towards Voldemort about this. 

“ _ You can really do this without hurting her?”  _ Harry whispered fearfully. He loved Hedwig and would die to protect her. He felt through their bond that Hedwig felt that same kind of love for him. 

Sensing that this was a major turning point between them, Voldemort smiled as warmly as he could and nodded. “ _ Yes Harry. I am a master of Legilimency and can make it so she will feel no pain.”  _ Maybe a little bit of discomfort, because having another’s mind mixing with your own always felt strange, but there would be no pain if he could help it. 

“ _ What is the problem, my Hassis?”  _ After staying out of the entire conversation, Hassaria finally spoke up. “ _ You need the truth, yes? Let the blessed dominant find the truth.”  _ At a much quieter level, Hassaria whispered in Harry’s ear. “ _ Let him prove himself to you Hassis. He wants to protect you, to take care of you, and he can show you how good he is at it this way.”  _

It was hard to argue with his mother’s logic, even if Harry didn’t like the idea of using Hedwig’s safety as some sort of test for Voldemort. Still, Hedwig was insisting that Voldemort do this and Harry had given her the choice in the first place. 

So Harry took a deep breath, and then another, and nodded. “Alright. Just...just be careful with her, please.” His voice was broken with worry for his owl. The last thing he wanted was for Hedwig to get hurt, but Harry also needed to know what had happened while she’d been a prisoner of the Order. 

He just hated that this was the best way to get that information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for reading and thanks for all the support guys. SSST started off as a self indulgent idea of me wanting Harry as a snake boy. Now it's grown into what it is today. The support and love you guys give SSST keeps up my excitement to write. I still have no idea how I'm going to end this story, or how long this story is going to end up being, but I do have a ton of ideas for future chapters. 
> 
> Speaking of future chapters, I have an update about my new job. I'll be working swing shift Tuesday through Saturday, so I'll have Sunday's and Monday's off. That means I'll be able to continue the current update schedule! Updates will continue to be on Mondays for the foreseeable future. 
> 
> The next update will be Monday the 14th of September. 
> 
> Next time: Voldemort has a look into Hedwig's mind, we finally learn more about what the Order is doing, and there might be at least one person from Harry's old life that might still be on Harry's side!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voldemort uses Legilimency on Hedwig and learns some very important things.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 21

Before Voldemort did anything else, he cast a light warming charm on the gazebo around them. The last thing he wanted or needed was for any of their snakes to become dangerously cold, especially since two of the three were sound asleep. Since he still had his tail out and Harry was stuck with his own tail instead of legs, they would become chilled easily as well. So he just made sure they would be alright until he finished with Harry’s owl. 

“I’ll need you to keep eye contact with me.” He felt silly giving the owl instructions such as this, but after seeing her interactions throughout the day, Voldemort knew she would understand him. When the white owl turned her yellow eyes to him and looked directly into his gaze, he knew for certain that she knew a great deal more than most owls typically did. 

Just how smart was the boy’s owl?

“ _ Legilimens.”  _

Slipping into the owls mind was ridiculously easy, if not disconcerting. A human’s mind always had thoughts coming and going, their short term memory connecting with long term memory to bring up thoughts and feelings to connect to the present state of mind. An improperly trained legilimens could easily get lost in an average person's unprotected mind. An animal's mind on the other hand didn’t have such chaos. Yes there were surface thoughts, but they were more like feelings and instincts than thoughts and words. Animals thought more in images, scents, sounds, and instincts unlike humans. 

It took a few seconds for Voldemort to become acclimated to the owl’s mind, slowly wading through images of memories and feelings. The memories weren’t organized in the way a human’s mind would be, with older memories further back and newer memories closer to the surface. Instead the memories seemed to be organized by what was going on in them. 

Voldemort found a string of memories that were of the owl flying with letters to deliver, another string that revolved around the owl diving to catch some sort of prey, and an even larger pile of memories all surrounding Harry Potter. 

Near the pile of memories that were all about Harry, which Voldemort was tempted to peak at but didn’t, was another that was focused on humans that were close to Harry. It was in that string of memories that Voldemort found what he was looking for. 

_ As Voldemort fell into the memory, he was momentarily distracted by the distinct lack of color. He knew owls didn’t see nearly as many colors as humans, but he hadn’t really thought about that fact until the monochrome memory started.  _

_ In the memory, Voldemort found himself looking through the eyes of Harry’s owl. She was trapped inside a typical metal cage and was attempting to screech angrily only not a single sound came from her. It was extremely telling just how much the Order truly didn’t care about the damage they were doing since they had silenced the poor bird.  _

_ As the owl silently screeched and battered her wings against the sides of the wire cage, Voldemort looked around and took note of those present in the memory. At the center of the room, which he assumed to be a kitchen, what with the sink and cabinets along the walls, was an old oak table. On Top of the table, instead of dishes or food, was a very still body of a young teen boy with messy black hair, ridiculous round wire glasses, and rumpled clothes that were several sizes too large. Surrounding the table Voldemort saw Dumbledore, which did not surprise him at all, Alastor Moody, again no surprise there, a balding black wizard that Voldemort was sure was from the Shacklebolt family, the Weasley mother, and Harry’s two ex-friends Weasley and Granger.  _

_ The inclusion of the last two surprised Voldemort as he hadn’t expected Dumbledore to include underage wizards so much in his schemes. Yes the old man used children as pawns, trained them to practically worship him as a scion for the light, but he hadn’t ever used children for something like this. At least Voldemort had never thought so.  _

_ There was no way for Voldemort to know what day it was in the memory, it had to have been sometime in the summer seeing as how the two teens were present. From what little he had picked up on while listening to Harry, the owl had been missing for several weeks before and after his birthday.  _

_ “I must insist, Albus! Ginny will be turning 15 soon and she needs a marriage contract with Harry as soon as possible.” It was the Weasley matriarch that was speaking at that moment. “If this works, I want that contract made and signed.”  _

_ Just the thought of Harry trapped in any sort of a binding contract like one for marriage made Voldemort mentally snarl. A submissive naga should never be forced into any relationship, especially one that involves marriage! It was why he was taking things so carefully with Harry so as not to make the boy feel forced.  _

_ “I understand Molly, and I am sorry that I was unable to sign the contract in Harry’s place.” Dumbledore placated the irate Weasley woman. “Only Sirius had the ability to create a contract on Harry’s behalf, and he made sure in his will that only Remus would have that right if he were to die.” _

_ “That werewolf should have agreed straight away.” Molly said with a sneer. “Ginny is the best match Harry could have, and yet Lupin refuses to do anything without the boy’s consent.”  _

_ Voldemort had been wondering why the tame werewolf wasn't present, but now he knew. It might be beneficial to feel out the werewolf and see if he might be persuaded to become neutral, for Harry’s sake.  _

_ “Once the golem is finished and the magic leech attached to Harry, we will be able to use the golem to sign the contract.” Dumbledore assured her gently, trying to calm the woman down while the others waited impatiently.  _

_ “Are you sure about this Albus?” This time it was the black wizard that spoke, his voice deep and slow. “I understand that Harry is growing unstable, but to force his magic into a golem? Perhaps if we just spoke to the boy-” _

_ “Harry won’t listen.” Ron, the boy that once had been Harry’s closest friend, spouted out. “He’s too stubborn to listen to reason. When we told him not to go to London, that it was a trap, he refused to listen then. He only cares about himself.”  _

_ “Ronald is right.” The girl actually sounded apologetic as she spoke. “Harry has not been acting like himself all year and it has only gotten worse since Sirius died. Before, he would actually listen to us without arguing, but when I suggested we start up a defense club, to teach other students at least something for defense, Harry actually didn’t want to. I talked him around eventually, but it took time!” There were actual tears in her eyes, which completely disgusted Voldemort.  _

_ “The boy has to be brought to hand before he does something we can not fix!” Moody’s voice exploded out and he banged the bottom of his staff against the floor. “He was completely irresponsible and ill prepared when he went to the ministry, and yet he still went! If he’s willing to risk his life by walking willingly into an obvious trap, then what else is he willing to do?” The heavily scarred man shook his head. “No. Something needs to be done. At least this way we can keep the real Harry safe while the golem takes his place.” _

_ Shacklebolt still seemed to be on the fence over whatever plan they were putting into motion, but he was folding rather quickly in the face of Dumbledore’s disappointed stare.  _

_ “I understand your hesitancy my boy, I really do, but Harry has a destiny that he must fulfill. The fate of the entire magical world rests on his shoulders and we can not risk him going down the wrong path.” _

_ And oh did Voldemort recognize those words. Back when Voldemort had been a student, Dumbledore had begged him to be careful about his ambitions, to not go down the dark path that Voldemort had chosen.  _

_ “We must do what we must. For the Greater Good.” Dumbledore sounded so old and tired in that moment, but Voldemort knew the old man was faking it. The old fool didn’t care about Harry’s well being, he only cared about his own machinations. If he truly cared, he wouldn’t have ever thought of using Harry to further his ‘Greater Good’ agenda.  _

_ The group turned towards the cage where Harry’s owl was still trying to break free. A shiver of foreboding was felt by both the owl and Voldemort in that moment.  _

_ “It’s alright girl.” Even though the Weasley boy tried to sound reassuring, he really didn’t succeed. “We’ll take good care of you. Even better than Harry did, you’ll see!”  _

_ There was a glimmer of greed in the boy’s eyes and Voldemort could practically see him salivating over the idea of having the snowy owl for his own. Even in the boy’s first year, when Voldemort had been possessing Quirrell, he had seen the greed in the boy’s eyes as he watched Harry.  _

_ From Barty’s reports, Ron Weasley had always been talking about Harry’s fame and the gold that the boy would get if he won the tournament. Even before Harry’s name had come out of the goblet, the Weasley boy had been talking about what he would do with the tournament winnings.  _

_ He was a greedy, immature, boy. _

_ “After we create a bond between Hedwig and the golem, we will be able to place a leech on the bond between Hedwig and Harry. The leech will feed magic directly into the golem.” Dumbledore motioned for Ron and the boy picked up the cage that Hedwig was flailing around in.  _

_ “What about the real Harry?” Only Shacklebolt seemed to care at all about Harry while the others were more concerned about getting the golem to work.  _

_ Dumbledore sighed softly and Voldemort could see a flicker of irritation in the old man’s eyes. “He’ll spend the rest of his summer spending time with his relatives. On the first of September I’ll go and collect him.” Dumbledore couldn’t trust anyone else to get the boy without tipping Harry off. “From there I’ll bring him straight here and bind him to Grimmauld. That way he will be safe here and Molly can take care of him when she is not at her own home.”  _

_ “And the golem will take his place at Hogwarts.” Moody added gruffly. “I imagine now that Voldemort is no longer acting in the shadows, he’ll have a plan to attack Hogwarts.” _

_ It was a decent plan, all things considered. The Order would have the perfect puppet acting as the boy-who-lived while the real Harry would be trapped in one place where he couldn’t cause any trouble. They would be able to control every aspect of the golem’s personality and never have to worry about it rebelling against them and doing what it wanted.  _

_ It was a masterful plan, only they had made a mistake in thinking that Harry would never leave his relative’s home.  _

_ That fact allowed Voldemort to narrow down the date a little. With the knowledge of the fake Harry’s movements, he guessed that the meeting had taken place a few days before Harry’s birthday. After all, it would have taken that long from the beginning of summer to create a golem that looked so very close to the original Harry.  _

_ It would also explain the report from Snape about how Dumbledore had taken Harry to meet with Slughorn to convince him to come out of retirement to teach potions again. Obviously Harry had not gone, which meant the golem had gone instead.  _

_ Voldemort was pulled from his thoughts when Dumbledore began casting all sorts of spells at the owl. He recognized most of them, ones meant to create a forced bond between two beings, a couple compulsions meant to make an animal trust someone implicitly, and even more meant to place a leech on the bond that Hedwig shared with Harry.  _

_ All of the spells repeatedly failed despite Dumbledore casting them multiple times. The old fool’s irritation at the lack of results was breathtaking for Voldemort and he laughed mentally at the man’s failures.  _

_ Maybe if Dumbledore had performed an actual ritual rather than simple spells, something might have worked. Perhaps if the man had done actual research about familiar bonds and how golems couldn’t have one since they weren’t alive, Dumbledore would have used different spells. As it was, Dumbledore had always refused to do anything ‘dark’, and rituals were definitely ‘dark’ in his book.  _

_ “It looks like we will have to wait until the end of August to attach the leech.” Dumbledore only finally admitted defeat after an hour of trying to get the spells to latch on to the owl. “The golem can still be activated and given the proper personality, it just won’t be able to perform any magic.”  _

_ Hedwig was irate in her cage, having had so many spells cast on her even if they hadn’t worked. She was still silenced though so her screeches and beak clicks were completely ignored. _

_ “But what about the marriage contract?” Molly wasn’t quite screeching, but her voice was rather close to it. “There needs to be one in place to prevent anyone else from courting the boy!”  _

_ “I’ll place an anti mail ward on Harry’s home so that only the letters we write will get through. That should prevent any sort of outside interference at least.” Dumbledore tried once again to sooth the angry Weasley matriarch. “Remus has already stated that he will be turning down all marriage contract offers and courtship offers until Harry is ready to make his own decisions regarding the matter. You do not have to worry about Harry being with anyone else.”  _

_ “As it should be.” Molly did seem to calm down a bit at that. “Ginny deserves to marry Harry, it is her dream to be Lady Potter.” And anything her daughter wanted, her daughter would get.  _

_ “Once we have Harry here at Grimmauld at the end of summer, and we put the leech in place, I will make sure to have a marriage contract written up immediately.” Dumbledore assured the woman one last time.  _

_ “Until then, we will simply act as though everything is normal. We’ll have the golem be seen in public to keep morale up for the light side. I’ll keep Remus busy with missions with the werewolves so that he does not notice that the golem is not Harry. As long as we do not over do it with the golem’s personality, no one should notice the difference.” _

_ Dumbledore turned to Ron and Hermoine then. “I am counting on the two of you to make sure the golem acts just as Harry should, to say and do exactly what Harry would when he was on the right path.” _

_ “Of course professor!” Hermoine all but gushed excitedly. The girl’s eyes were full of hero worship for Dumbledore and it made Voldemort sick.  _

_ “What’s in it for us?” Ron demanded, his arms crossed over his chest in stubbornness.  _

_ “Ronald!” The boy’s mother looked shocked and disappointed by the boy’s attitude, but Dumbledore just raised his hand to gently calm her down.  _

_ “I understand Ronald’s sentiment, Molly, really I do. He has to pretend to be friends with a golem and keep it in tip top shape while his real friend is separated from him. I’m sure Ronald must be very upset over all of this.” Voldemort snorted and shook his head in disgust over the clear manipulation.  _

_ “Seeing as how I still have the key to the Potter vaults, the Golem will be able to access Harry’s money.” From his pocket, Dumbledore withdrew a single gold key and slowly handed it over to Ron. “As long as you promise not to spend it all,” The old man’s eyes sparkled with mirth “I’ll let you take care of the necessary finances for the golem.” _

_ Ron took the key so fast that Voldemort hadn’t even seen the boy’s hand move. The greedy red head was staring at the key like it would bring him infinite treasure and Voldemort was sure that to a poor boy like him, it probably would.  _

_ Knowing that it was Ron Weasley that had Harry Potter’s vault key definitely explained the spending sprees that Harry had been spotted going on. Voldemort would be extremely surprised if there was even a single knut left in Harry’s vault if and when the submissive naga ever got to go to Gringotts again.  _

_ “Now then, let’s get this finished up. I do have several errands to arrange and we need to make sure the golem will work properly.” With that said Dumbledore pulled out a single vial from another one of his hidden pockets.  _

_ Inside the vial was a thick dark red liquid that sluggishly sloshed against the glass sides of the vial. Voldemort’s lips thinned as he eyed it and knew instantly that it was Harry’s blood in the vial.  _

_ The blood had to have been collected well before Harry’s inheritance, otherwise the golem would have taken on the boy’s newly developed naga traits. Voldemort’s eyes narrowed and his pupils became slits as he watched Dumbledore lift away the golem’s shirt to pour the blood into what looked like a straight knife cut in the golem’s chest.  _

_ He had to wonder just how much of Harry’s blood Dumbledore had in his possession. Thankfully Harry’s inheritance would have changed his blood enough that any of the old blood that Dumbledore had couldn’t be used against Harry anymore. Dumbledore would still be able to use it for certain things, like keeping the golem active, or for things like the polyjuice potion, but he wouldn’t be able to use it to track Harry or control him.  _

_ Which would explain why Dumbledore had put tracking spells on the boy’s owl and had let the owl free. If Dumbledore was desperate to find Harry, he would use any means available to him.  _

_ After a few minutes of nothing happening after the blood had been poured, the cut in the golem’s chest sealed shut. Slowly, the golem began to stir before awkwardly sitting up. It was like watching a newborn fawn trying to sit up for the first time. The golem couldn’t seem to keep its balance for long and would flail its arms a little to keep itself sitting up.  _

_ “I’m counting on everyone to help teach the Golem how to act like Harry.” Dumbledore said as he observed the newly activated golem. “I have given all of you the spell that will let you change the golem’s personality, but try not to use it immediately after someone else uses it. Changing the personality of the golem too many times in rapid succession could damage the golem.”  _

_ “We’ll be careful professor!” Hermoine was watching the golem with rapt attention, poking at it a few times to see what sort of reaction she would get out of it. The golem watched her in response, but with an empty stare and didn’t seem to even care that it was being prodded.  _

_ Shacklebolt looked increasingly uncomfortable and he was the first to excuse himself once Dumbledore had left them to take care of the golem. Seeing him at odds with Dumbledore had Voldemort wondering if perhaps the man could be convinced to become neutral? The Dark Lord knew that there wasn’t a single chance that the light wizard would ever turn to the dark side of the war, but with how upset the man had been over the use of the golem it was highly possible that he could go at least become neutral.  _

_ Removing even one person from Dumbledore’s little order would be a wonderful blow against the old fool’s ego.  _

_ Seeing as how there really wasn’t much more to the memory that would be helpful to Voldemort, he pulled himself from the memory and returned to the space of the owl’s mind that connected all her memories together.  _

Voldemort had to wonder if there were any other memories that he should take a look at while he was in the owl’s mind. He skimmed over a few more memories, watching as the Weasley boy tried to get the owl to eat food through her cage bars, as the Granger girl taught the golem how to behave like the ‘Golden boy’ version of Potter that many believed to be true, and as Ginny clung to the golem and taught it that she was Harry’s girlfriend and that the golem had to be the perfect boyfriend for her.

All of it was sickening to Voldemort, and he had done some truly heinous things in his life as the Dark Lord. 

He had a great many things to think about now after viewing the memory of the golem. There were things that Voldemort would need to do to protect Harry, and people he would need to thoroughly investigate. He even had a few ideas on how to punish Harry’s ex-friends for their betrayal. 

While he was glancing through the owl’s memories, he came across the moment when Dumbledore had discovered that Harry was actually missing. 

_ Once again Voldemort found himself entering a monochrome memory of the owl stuck in the wire cage. He could feel how stiff and uncomfortable the poor bird’s wings were, indicating that she had been trapped in the cage for some time.  _

_ In the memory, Voldemort was once again in the kitchen, but this time there were quite a few more people around the table and yet Lupin was still not amongst them. He snarled as he spotted his double agent Severus standing a bit away from those around the table.  _

_ It was an Order meeting that Voldemort was looking at, it had to be. He had ordered Severus to spy on Dumbledore and bring back any pertinent news, but he had never guessed that the man had wormed his way so deeply into Dumbledore’s trust as to be able to attend an Order meeting. Perhaps Voldemort would have a conversation with his potion master later to ascertain just how trustworthy Snape really was.  _

_ “I’m afraid to report that Harry is missing.” Dumbledore told those around the table, his face the perfect mask of misery. “His aunt and uncle told me that Harry ran away a few days after his birthday and that they haven’t heard from him since.” _

_ Snape sneered darkly at the news. “I suppose they weren’t spoiling him enough for his liking.” He looked repulsed, as if something disgusting was under his nose. “The brat clearly doesn’t care about his safety, the spoiled boy that he is. He’s probably out gallivanting around London enjoying his responsibility free summer.” _

_ “Now Severus, I’m sure Harry wouldn’t have run off without a good reason.” Dumbledore scolded the black robed man gently. “He was very upset after the loss of his godfather and probably didn’t know how to handle his depression.”  _

_ Once again Snape sneered, but said nothing in response to Dumbledore.  _

_ Dumbledore waited a moment, to make sure Severus wouldn’t speak again, before continuing. “I’ve used what spells I can to try and locate Harry, but none of the tracking or scrying spells seem to be working. They keep pointing right back here to Grimmauld place.” _

_ Voldemort snorted softly. Of course the spells wouldn’t have worked. After the boy’s inheritance both his magic and his blood would have changed drastically. Any sort of charm Dumbledore might have had on Harry would have broken and the blood that the old man had used for the golem wouldn’t match Harry’s new blood. Instead the old blood would point towards the closest match; that being the golem.  _

_ Dumbledore was an idiot and a fool, of that Voldemort was sure of.  _

_ “It is imperative that we find Harry as quickly as possible, he could be behind powerful wards or in grave danger.” Dumbledore looked genuinely tired as he turned towards Snape. “Severus, has Voldemort said anything having captured Harry? Or perhaps tracking him?” _

_ Snape rolled his eyes and shook his head. “If Voldemort had the brat, he would have told the entire world by now. And if he was tracking the boy, he hasn’t told me about it. For now all Voldemort seems interested in is reorganizing his spies in the ministry and organizing raids on muggles.”  _

_ Voldemort’s eyes narrowed as Snape gave his answer. He’d told Snape to tell Dumbledore what he needed in order to keep the man’s trust, and yet here Snape was giving more than Voldemort would assume to be necessary. Just how much had Snape shared during his time as a spy for Voldemort?  _

_ “What about the golem?” Ron asked suddenly, earning several confused glances from the order members that hadn’t been in the loop regarding the golem plan. “We don’t need Harry since we have his golem right?” Voldemort could barely hear the Granger girl telling him to shut up.  _

_ Dumbledore’s lips narrowed and Voldemort noticed him glancing towards Snape, who was glaring daggers at the Weasley boy. It was obvious that Dumbledore hadn’t been planning on including Snape in on the Golem plan, but now that the secret was out it seemed like Dumbledore didn’t have a choice but to reveal the whole truth.  _

_ For the next several minutes Dumbledore told those that hadn’t known the truth an abbreviated version of what the golem was and its purpose. He left out the information on the leech and how he had tried to bind Harry’s owl to the golem.  _

_ Snape seemed incessed that he had been left out and he snarled at Dumbledore over the old man’s foolishness. “And what about when school started back up? Golem’s don’t have magic, I’m sure even the other professors would notice their favorite golden boy’s lack of magic.”  _

_ “I was going to create a link between the golem and Harry so that the golem would have limited access to Harry’s magic.” Dumbledore explained calmly.  _

_ The potions master didn’t seem at all convinced, but he kept his mouth shut after that.  _

_ “I think the best course of action would be to use Hedwig.” Dumbledore turned towards the poor owl who was still locked up. She’d stopped struggling and trying to break out weeks ago, but the silencing charm was still in place. “I’ll place several tracking charms on her and send her to find Harry. If anyone can find the boy, she can.” Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at the owl, much to her indignation.  _

_ Voldemort didn’t have to stick around to see what happened next. Seeing Dumbledore lifting his wand to point it at the owl was enough to tell Voldemort that soon the owl would be flying away from the Order headquarters.  _

_ They were all so foolish for thinking that the owl wouldn’t understand them. If they had been even remotely intelligent, they would have known to keep the owl away from their meetings. With that thought, Voldemort slipped out of the memory once more.  _

Having gathered the information that he had been searching for, and learning several other important things in the process, Voldemort turned to leave the owl’s mind. He paused for a moment, once again tempted to look into the memories that the owl had of Harry. As much as he wanted to see more about Harry, to learn more about the younger naga he was trying to court, Voldemort turned away. He had to court Harry properly, and invading another’s memories to tray and get a leg up wasn’t the way to do it. 

So Voldemort slipped out of the owl’s mind as carefully as he had slipped into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter 21 is up! We finally have some answers to questions that have been floating around in the story for ages! What could this mean for Harry's future? Is there anyone from his old life that he can trust?? 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 21st of September
> 
> Next time: Voldemort tells Harry what he saw in Hedwig's memories (after plying Harry with some calming draught), plans are made, and Voldemort makes a very important promise.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voldemort comes out of Hedwig's memories and tells Harry about what he saw. They have a long talk and Voldemort makes a few promises that he definitely intends to keep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry this chapter is so late today. Our roommates moved out this last week and they left so much of their stuff behind that my husband and I have been trying to clean up after them. Today we packed up what they left in the kitchen and tossed out a LOT of their old food (tomorrow morning is trash day). That took up a large portion of the day so I didn't have time to come and post the chapter. 
> 
> When I post a new chapter, I do one last read through to make sure I cleaned up as many of the grammar/spelling errors as I can find. Most of the time I'm good, but sometimes something slips past.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 22

It was always hard to judge the passing of time when using legilimency. Memories didn’t move like normal events, they could go faster or slower depending on how they were being viewed. Skimming the memories and not focusing on them could go by within seconds, while actually entering a memory and reliving it could take hours. It was all quite random.

Thankfully for Voldemort, only about 10 minutes had passed since he’d entered the owl’s mind. He had wanted to view the memories as quickly as possible which meant the hour long memory had been shortened to only a few minutes. 

“What happened?” 

For a moment Voldemort had to focus to organize his thoughts. Coming out of the mind of an animal was always so different from that of a human. While inside an animal’s mind, Voldemort was subject to the animal’s instincts. He had to take a moment to reorient himself to his own instincts, thoughts, and emotions. 

“I know what Dumbledore was planning to do.” With how volatile the boy’s emotions and magic had been lately, Voldemort felt a little worried about telling him about what Hedwig had witnessed. Harry deserved to know the truth, but Voldemort wanted to make sure there were a couple calming draughts on hand first. 

It would probably also be a good idea to go inside. In the ten or so minutes that Voldemort had been inside the owl’s mind, the sky had gotten a great deal darker. The warming charm that Voldemort had cast was still going strong, but he really didn’t want to have to have this chat out in the open. 

His Death Eaters were loyal to him, and they could not understand parseltongue, but he was sure many of his followers would at least recognize the snowy owl that was resting against Harry on the table. Sure he had sent his Death Eaters away for the day, but the ones that were staying at Malfoy Manor would have returned by now.

“Perhaps we should go inside for the evening? Your owl looks exhausted and will probably want to hunt before she retires herself.” 

True to his word, when Harry glanced down at his poor owl he found that she was weakly keeping her eyes open. 

“Are you alright Hedwig?” Harry asked his owl softly. His concern over his owl getting hurt from the legilimency had been for naught seeing as how she hadn’t even twitched when Voldemort went into her mind and came back out. The care Voldemort had taken to not hurt Hedwig relaxed something inside of Harry.

“ _Just tired. And hungry.”_ As much as she wanted to stay with her boy and enjoy their free bond, she really was quite exhausted. She hadn’t been sleeping much the last few days, fluttering around the outskirts of the wards trying to find a way in, avoiding the werewolves that stalked about in the forest, and then having the tracking and compulsion spells removed. She’d been awake for so long that she was worried she’d end up becoming a daytime owl, which would really throw her off balance. 

Harry smiled sadly as his owl ruffled her feathers and slowly stood up. “I’ll leave you to it then. I’ll come by tomorrow evening after dinner to check on you.” He wanted to spend as much time with his owl as he could, especially now that the two could talk to each other. 

Hedwig hooted in agreement before hopping off the gazebo table to fly off into the gardens. If she didn’t find something to catch, she would go and eat some of the food offered to the owls back in the owlery. She didn’t hate the food left for the owls, but all owls preferred fresh kills to chopped up meat. 

“ _Come, I’ll tell you everything once we have returned to your rooms.”_

The halls of the manor were still relatively empty, but Harry could hear some people moving around in the distance. The Malfoy family had to have returned by then since it was slowly getting late. 

A yawn passed Harry’s lips and he had to rub at his eyes to wake himself up a little. He had questions that needed answering and he wanted to know what Voldemort had seen in Hedwig’s memories before even attempting to go to sleep. 

There were some things that Harry could assume happened while Hedwig was being kept with the Order. He imagined that they’d confined her somehow, which only reminded him of their time at the Dursley’s and how uncle Vernon always locked Hedwig in her cage whenever she was there. 

Harry hated that his beautiful owl had been locked up and unable to spread her wings. She didn’t deserve to be treated like that and just the thought of it had Harry feeling like he wanted to rip and shred someone to pieces with his bare claws. 

“ _You’ll want to drink this.”_

Sometime during Harry’s mental tirade over his owl’s poor treatment, they had arrived at his rooms. He hadn’t even noticed struggling up the stairs what with how angry he had been. 

Voldemort was holding out a blue potion, a calming draught that Harry always seemed to be given whenever he was about to receive distressing news. A part of him didn’t want to take it, he wanted to be rightfully angry, but Harry also knew that his magic had been rather wild lately. Getting even angrier would only trigger his magic again and Harry didn’t want to risk putting his family in danger again. Especially since both Lash and Hassaria were now asleep. 

So Harry took the blue potion, grimaced, and swallowed it down as quickly as possible. The bit of anger that had been simmering inside of Harry eased up to the point where it was just a little itch. Harry was still mad, anything that hurt his owl would always make him mad, but it wasn’t the only thing on his mind anymore.

“ _Better?”_

Voldemort’s voice was soft and hesitant, and Harry instantly picked up on that fact. The man was worried, but he was doing a better job at keeping his feelings in check. 

_“I guess.”_ Before Harry sat down on his couch, he set Hassaria and Lash down on the rug in front of the fireplace. He didn’t want to disturb them with his agitation, not when Harry could already tell he was not going to like what Voldemort had to say; not at all. 

“ _So?”_ Harry couldn’t wait any longer for Voldemort to tell him the truth. He needed to know, and not just because he was tired of being in the dark. Harry needed to know if he, his family, or Hedwig were in any danger. 

Slowly, Voldemort started to explain what it was he saw in the owl’s memories. He could see the anger in Harry’s eyes, but the boy was doing a good job keeping his magic contained and controlled. The fact that Hedwig hadn’t actually been hurt, just caged, kept Harry from having an outburst even though Voldemort knew the younger naga was furious over the treatment of his owl. 

“ _Why didn’t it work?”_ Harry asked once Voldemort was through telling him about the first memory. “ _Why weren’t they able to bind Hedwig to the golem?”_

Yes, Voldemort was definitely going to get Harry a tutor this year. “ _Bonds such as the one they were trying to make between your owl and the golem cannot work. They can only exist between living creatures that already have magic.”_ Voldemort had always enjoyed teaching others about how magic worked, it was why he had wanted to be a teacher at Hogwarts in his younger years. 

He had to wonder just how much the future would have changed if Dumbledore had actually allowed him to teach like he had wanted. 

“ _Even if they had gotten the leech to work on you, the golem still would have not been alive. Since the magic would have still been yours, the bond would have gone back to you through your magic.”_ For a moment Voldemort contemplated something. “ _I suppose they could have created something that would have mimicked a real bond, by using compulsions and a parasitic binding that would have required your owl to return to the golem regularly so that she would not become ill or weak.”_

Harry hissed angrily at the very idea of something so horrible being put onto his beloved owl. 

Voldemort couldn’t help the fang filled smile that reminded Harry of the insanity he’d seen every other time he’d met with the Dark Lord. “ _But to do that, Dumbledore would have to use Dark magic, and he would NEVER do something like that!”_ It was the one weakness that Voldemort was more than willing to exploit when it came to his enemy. There were plenty of dark rituals and spells that Dumbledore probably had never even heard about that Voldemort could utilize. 

Like the ritual that allowed Voldemort to speak to Dementors. It required the sacrifice of several humans, but the ritual didn’t specify if the humans needed to be magical. He had found that muggles worked just fine for quite a number of dark rituals. 

“ _You do not have to worry about magic like what Dumbledore uses anymore Harry. Now that your familiar bond is free from the binding, your magic will protect your owl from anything but the darkest of rituals.”_ Which, thankfully, not many people knew about or were powerful enough to do. 

There was some comfort in Voldemort’s words and Harry huffed out softly to show that he had heard the man. He still didn’t like the thought at all that Dumbledore had tried to do such horrid things to his owl, and to him through his owl, but at least now he knew Dumbledore wouldn’t be able to use Hedwig in such a way again. 

“ _I can’t imagine locking me away in the Order’s headquarters would have been the end of it.”_ As much as Harry tried to say ‘Grimmauld place’, the fidelius was still in effect which meant he couldn’t say the name of the building. 

Voldemort shook his head and a small breath of a sigh left him. “ _No. Putting a magic leech on you and connecting it to the golem would have made you extremely weak, both you and the golem would have been in a constant fight over your magic. I imagine Dumbledore would have put you into a magical coma to make sure the golem could get as much magic from you as possible.”_

So Harry would have just ended up as a battery, trapped in the same place that Sirius had been trapped in for months. He didn’t even know if he would be able to dream or think in such a state. If Harry remembered right, people didn’t normally have enough brain function in comas for dreams. He would just be trapped in endless darkness while the fake him went out to live his life. 

But if Dumbledore was right and the prophecy meant he had to fight Voldemort to the death, then what did the old man have planned for the final confrontation? The golem wasn’t him, even if the golem was using his magic. 

Harry couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened to him AFTER the final battle. If the golem had lived, would Dumbledore finally free him from the coma? Or would he have just kept Harry in a permanent state of endless nothingness? Would the golem have gone on to be the perfect little hero, the perfect Auror, maybe even the perfect husband to Ginny? 

And that thought brought his anger back up to the surface. How dare they try to create a marriage contract between him and Ginny! Now that he knew just what kind of people they were, Harry wouldn't have been surprised if they left out any sort of way for Harry to get out of the contract. He would have been made a slave to Ginny, giving his money over to her and doing anything she wanted.

“ _Is it possible for them to still make a marriage contract for me?”_ His words were half hissed in irritation which slurred his words a little. Harry was having a hard time keeping his fangs contained, but he could feel his venom building up under his gums. 

Narcissa would be the one to ask, since Voldemort had never planned on marrying anyone in his long life. Sure he had lovers now and then, but mating and marriage were things he had thought beyond him, so he had never done the necessary research to learn all he could about marriage contracts. 

“ _It might have been possible,”_ Voldemort admitted slowly “ _before your inheritance. Your blood and magic have changed too much for them to create a contract without your consent. Even Lupin will be unable to do so now.”_

Creature inheritances changed things when it came to being of age. For some creature inheritances, as soon as it happened the person would be instantly recognized as of age and in control of their own lives, while others were affected by just what sort of creature inheritance one had. 

Voldemort was positive there were a couple creature inheritances that made it so that a person became solely and completely dependent on their head of the family and that person would make all the decisions for their family members. 

Thankfully Naga’s were in the former category. Yes, Harry’s body wasn’t completely matured, being a submissive naga meant his body took longer to adjust to the physical changes, but his magic made him of age and no longer needed parents or guardians to make important life binding decisions. The trace on his wand would still be there until he was 17, but that was because of magical laws that had been created by the wizarding world. 

“ _The only way to force you to cooperate now, would be to use compulsions, potions, or some rituals to control you.”_ Which, for the foreseeable future, would not be possible since the Order would never get their hands on Harry. Voldemort would begin work on protections for Harry to ensure that no one would ever be able to control him against his will. “ _The ministry usually checks to make sure both parties of a contract are compulsion free, but I would not be surprised if Dumbledore was able to get around that system.”_

Perhaps running away to the continent, getting as far away from Britain as possible, would be the best idea for Harry? He would be practically guaranteed to have a fresh start in his life. And yet...if he left, he wouldn’t be able to see if there really was something between him and Voldemort. 

Harry glanced at Voldemort through a few strands of his hair that had fallen in front of his face. The man wasn’t looking at him, instead staring into the fire that was happily crackling in the fireplace. There were a few wrinkles between his brows and he was rubbing at his chin in thought. The warm firelight gave his matte white scales a soft orange glow. 

The younger naga could feel his instincts practically purring over the picture Voldemort made. He was a strong dominant, both physically and magically, and Harry knew he would be safe with the man. He still wasn’t sure how happy he could be with Voldemort, but after today, he knew for certain that the Dark Lord would at least do everything in his power to give Harry what he wanted. 

There was still a worry there, that Voldemort wouldn’t be able to love him the way Harry wanted, but the Gryffindor part of him thought it’d be a great idea to just dive head first into the courtship to see what would happen.

It wasn’t like Harry would be stuck with the courtship if he really did find that the two of them would make a terrible couple. Both Narcissa and the naga book had made it very clear that Harry could end the courtship whenever he wanted. Besides, it wasn’t like Voldemort would kill him if things went badly, not now that Harry knew there was a piece of the man’s soul inside of him

And then there was the issue of what would happen if Harry did agree to Voldemort courting him. Harry was determined that any sort of courtship he had, it would be an equal courtship. He wasn’t one of those people that wanted to be given tons of gifts only to never give anything in return. 

There were some things Harry would be able to give Voldemort, such as home made meals, but anything else he could think of would require money. Right now, Harry had no idea just how much money he had left. Voldemort had told him how Dumbledore had given Ron the key to Harry’s trust vault, and how his ex-friend had been going on spending sprees with the golem, so there was a strong chance that Ron had completely cleaned out his vault. 

“ _Is there a way for me to get to Gringotts and check my vault?”_ Harry hated that he had to rely on Voldemort so much just to do something as simple as checking on his vault. With his tail stuck the way it was, for at least another 5 months at best according to the naga book, there was no way for Harry to get to Diagon let alone Gringotts. 

Harry knew that there had been just enough money in his trust vault to get him through school and have a little left over to keep him comfortable for a couple years afterwards while he found a job, but that was only if he was careful with his spending. Up until this last summer, Harry had only bought what was required for school and had survived on his second hand belongings for everything else. 

He hated the idea of being penniless after growing up with nothing, and Harry really hated the idea of relying on a dominant to make sure he was financially secure. The Dursley’s had always made him feel like such a burden while he’d been growing up, Harry didn’t want any future mate of his to feel that way either. 

“ _It may take a few days, but I should be able to submit a request for a goblin representative to come and visit the manor to speak with you.”_ Voldemort said with a hum, his eyes still on the fire in thought. “ _I doubt there will be much they will be able to do about the money Weasley spent with your key, but they will at least be able to make you a new one and make the old one no longer work.”_

The goblins really didn’t care who spent the money in the vaults, so long as no one was trying to break into their bank. They absolutely hated thieves, but on the other hand they always made it very clear that they were not liable for any loss of fortune if a wizard or witch lost the key to their vault. So if someone else stole a person's key and used it to get into the real owner's vault, well, that was the fault of the owner. 

Sometimes if there was proof of misconduct or fraudulent transactions, the goblins would get the money back, but there always needed to be a papertrail and proof that somewhere in the bank a goblin had messed up. 

In the case of a key being given to another person, a wizard was out of luck. 

Harry nodded. He had figured he’d probably not be able to get the money Ron had spent back, but if he could at least protect what little he might be left, he would. 

“ _I-”_ Voldemort turned to look at the teenager that had taken over so much of his life. He got up from the chair he’d been lounging in to kneel down in front of Harry. “ _I swear to you Harry, I will do everything that I can to make things right. If I have to rip the world apart and rebuild it in whatever way you want, I will.”_

That crazed glint was back in Voldemort’s red eyes, but for some reason seeing it just relaxed Harry rather than make him nervous. Voldemort had already admitted that his sanity was questionable, but at least Harry was secure in the knowledge that the Dark Lord wouldn’t be trying to destroy Harry’s life anymore. He actually felt a little...giddy over the idea that the man before him would try to give him the world if Harry asked for it. 

“ _I just don’t want to fight anymore.”_ Harry whispered, the anger that had been simmering inside of him vanished only to be replaced by exhaustion. His eyes were getting heavy despite Harry trying to stay awake. He needed to keep talking to Voldemort, to make sure he had all the details about the memories, but in all honesty Harry was running on fumes. 

“ _You’ll never have to fight again Harry, I promise.”_

There was something gently touching Harry’s hair and he tilted his head into that touch. He sighed softly, the warmth from that hand doing wonders for relaxing him. 

“ _Rest Harry. We will continue this discussion tomorrow.”_

Rest sounded like a wonderful idea and Harry’s body wasn’t willing to fight the pull any longer. That hand was still petting his head, brushing his hair away from his face and tucking each strand behind the little pointed tips in his ears. It felt nice and Harry fell asleep thinking that he would really like to always feel something so nice when he went to sleep.

* * *

For the first time in what felt like forever, Harry woke up naturally with the sunrise. He felt surprisingly well rested even after the emotional day he’d had the day before. It probably helped that instead of waking up on the couch, as he’d been doing the last few days, Harry woke up curled up in the middle of his bed with the softest and warmest blanket tucked in around him. 

The blanket was so soft and warm that Harry didn’t want to move to get out from under it. 

“ _How are you feeling Hassis?”_ The warm gentle voice of his mum asked from a blanket pile right next to Harry. “ _You slept so deeply you did not wake when the older one carried you to your bed nest.”_

Harry’s cheeks became inflamed at the very thought of Voldemort carrying him to bed. He couldn’t stop imagining the older naga, shirtless, being so close to him while they were both resting on the bed. 

‘I need to stop doing that!’ Harry chastised himself and was half tempted to just slap his cheeks to get his mind away from the strange daydreams involving Voldemort. It was weird and a little disturbing thinking about the older naga in such a way, and not just because they’d been so hostile towards each other for the last decade. 

His mother calling for him again, asking Harry if he was alright, was enough to get Harry to focus once more on the present. 

“ _I’m fine mum, it’s just-”_ What word could Harry use to describe just how frustrated he was over his entire situation? It was blatantly obvious that Harry felt a physical attraction to Voldemort, which confused the teenager to no end, andHarry was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Voldemort wasn’t trying to kill him anymore. He had so many confusing thoughts swirling around in his mind over the Dark Lord that Harry didn’t know what to think anymore!

He knew he could trust the man, if only because Voldemort wasn’t the kind of person to lie, and Harry knew that Voldemort would want to keep him alive to ensure the sliver of the man’s soul would remain safe. 

It wasn’t just the horcrux that was keeping Harry safe and alive though, it was his naga inheritance. Voldemort had explained to him that nagas were territorial beings and that fights happened quite often between tribes. Ancient magic kept the nagas from killing each other with magic, but they could potentially kill each other physically in ritual combat. That didn’t mean they couldn’t hurt each other though. 

Being a naga, especially a younger submissive naga, meant Voldemort’s instincts would want to protect Harry. Those instincts were a double edged blade for the two of them. While Voldemort wanted to protect and court Harry, the younger naga wanted to trust and listen to the older. 

“ _I understand Hassis.”_ Hassaria cooed softly and slithered out of her blanket nest to rub her head against Harry’s cheek. “ _Your feelings and thoughts are overwhelming you. Blessed Nagini explained it to me yesterday while we were hunting. She explained that your snake instincts are getting stronger as you grow accustomed to being a naga, but they are very different from your human mind so your human mind does not know how to feel. She said you need time to find a balance between the two sides of yourself now so that you can become whole again.”_

“ _Like when you want to eat, but you’re really full!”_ Lash added to try and be helpful, bringing to Harry’s attention that the young grass snake was also awake. “ _You know you’ll get sick if you eat more, but you really want to eat another tasty frog! You get all conflicted and don’t know what to do.”_

Harry supposed he could understand what both Hassaria and Lash were trying to tell him. His mind and instincts were at odds with each other and Harry didn’t know which one to listen to more. He’d been human for so long that he was used to listening to his human thoughts and feelings, but now that he was a naga he also had instincts that he had to listen to. 

For the first time ever, Harry thought he could understand what Remus must go through on a regular basis. Whenever the man would talk about the wolf inside of him, he had always described it as a separate being that took over during the full moon, but was always there in the back of his mind. 

Sure Harry’s instincts weren’t as violent and bloodthirsty as those of a werewolf, but his instincts were still different and separate from his thoughts and feelings. 

All those conflicting emotions inside of him probably contributed to Harry’s lack of anger management and his chaotic magic. 

Perhaps talking to Voldemort would help him figure things out? The man had gone through his own inheritance while at school so he probably had to learn how to control and balance himself a lot faster than Harry. And yet Harry didn’t want to talk to the older naga, especially seeing as how his instincts could only ever focus on wanting to be courted by the man. He could probably talk to Narcissa about his confusion, and even if she didn’t understand completely what he was going through she would at least reassure him that he wasn’t some sort of freak. 

“ _Hassis?”_

During his mental ramblings, Harry had slowly started sitting up in his bed, leaning against the headboard and the pile of pillows that were stacked up there. It gave both of his snakes room to coil up in his lap, which was still under the warm blanket. 

“ _You’re right mum, I just need a little time to think.”_ At least that’s what Harry hoped. At least he had one less thing to think about though. 

After everything Voldemort had done for him yesterday, Harry had decided to give the man a chance. He would accept the courtship offer from Voldemort, but Harry was going to make sure the older naga understood that Harry was still wary about the entire thing. Trusting the man not to kill him was one thing, trusting him to treat him right and to care about him were completely different. 

Something about the decision to accept the courtship settled Harry’s instincts. They’d been getting louder by the day, constantly bringing up Voldemort and what a strong and handsome dominant he was, but now his instincts had settled down and it felt like they were just purring contently in the back of Harry’s mind. 

“ _Perhaps reading that book a bit more will help you Hassis?”_ Hassaria suggested as she swiveled her head around to look over at the coffee table where the naga book was. “ _You have only read a small bit of it, not enough to really understand yourself.”_

Hassaria was right and Harry knew it. He’d only read the beginning of the book, a small portion about how the naga inheritance worked, and a part of the courtship chapter. There were probably a lot of things in the book that could help him and Harry just hadn’t had the courage to continue reading. 

After learning that naga were a physical race, he’d started avoiding looking at the book. 

“ _I-I know.”_ Harry grumbled as he reluctantly crawled his way out of bed. He was half tempted to take the blanket with him over to the couch, but he left it on his bed. “ _It’s just...it’s embarrassing!”_

Before his inheritance, Harry hadn’t ever really thought about things like...like sex. Kissing, sure, he’d done that, but nothing more serious! He always felt so awkward whenever his dorm mates would start talking about the girls they liked and what it must be like to sleep with them. Usually Harry just nodded along and ignored them. 

“ _What’s embarrassing? Mating? Are you talking about mating? That’s gross!”_ Lash quickly piped up as he used the corner post of the bed to slither his way down to the floor. “ _See if that book thing knows anything about hunting and hiding! Hunting is way better than mating!”_

Harry couldn’t help it, he laughed happily as his brother climbed up onto the coffee table. Lash always made Harry feel better about these things. He was also the only one that seemed to be against the whole idea of courtships and mating. Lash’s reactions were a breath of fresh air for Harry and they helped to relax him when nothing else could. 

_“I’ll be sure to check.”_ Harry assured his little brother as he made himself comfortable on the couch. He’d keep an eye out for anything about hunting, but for now Harry was going to focus on learning more about submissive nagas like himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp I hope this chapter isn't too horrible. I remember it was a bit of a pain to write because it's what I consider to be a 'transitional' chapter. It's not too important to the story, but without it the next chapter would feel too rushed. I really do hate writing what equates to 'summary' paragraphs, so transitional chapters are necessary. 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 28th of September. Man it feels like this month has just flown by. 
> 
> So, I've mentioned this in a few comments, but I imagine a Gringotts key to be a lot like a debit card. If you give it to someone to let them use it, the bank can't exactly track that. You're responsible for whatever someone spends using your borrowed debit card/key. Harry has in the past had other people use his key (Molly in fourth year for example) so Gringotts probably thinks Harry gave his key to Ron to use for him. Since Harry's vault isn't in a high security area, they probably don't even care that the 'him' that they see is a golem. Wizards do all sorts of ridiculous things after all, why should goblins care so long as they aren't trying to break into vaults they don't have keys for? 
> 
> On the other hand, if a goblin made a second key in order to give to someone to steal money, Gringotts would take that very seriously and would compensate the victim for their loss. Because the bank would be at fault in that situation. 
> 
> This will be looked at a little more closely in later chapters. 
> 
> ok see you all next week!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry finally feels like he has a handle on his life and his feelings. He is pretty sure he'll accept Voldemort's courtship offer as well. But is he really as in control of his feelings as he thinks? After a talk with Draco, Harry's not so sure anymore.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 23 

Even though Harry had decided to read more from the naga book, particularly the section regarding courtships, he couldn’t seem to convince himself to pick up the book. He just sat there, on the couch, staring at the book where it was innocently sitting on the coffee table. 

‘Am I a Gryffindor or not?!’ It was just a book and yet Harry was treating it like it was going to bite him! Then again, Harry seemed to have weird luck involving biting books, who was to say that the naga book wouldn’t suddenly come alive and nip at his fingers? 

It was just a book though, one that Harry desperately needed to read whether he liked it or not. 

With a deep and aggravated sigh, Harry picked up the dreaded book and slowly flipped to the chapter on courtships. He found the last page he’d stopped at, the one deta iling how some couples would have sex during a courtship to see how compatible they were, and Harry quickly flipped forward a few pages. He really did NOT want to read about what to expect during a heat while courting. 

Thankfully the next part of the chapter focused more on the submissive’s part of the courtship rather than a general overview. 

_ Both submissives and dominants will react differently during the courtship period. This has to do with how one's instincts respond to the courting partner. Although different people will react differently to a courtship, especially since different tribes will have different customs and beliefs, there are things that are considered common amongst naga.  _

_ As stated in the chapter about inherited submissives, a submissive’s instincts will be exceptionally strong during the courtship period. Unlike a dominant’s instincts, a submissive’s instincts are hardwired to sense when danger is close or when someone is untrustworthy. This rise in a submissive’s instincts is meant to ensure that a courting dominant is neither a danger nor trying to manipulate the human emotions that all naga have.  _

_ A submissive’s instincts give the submissive in question an extra level of protection as a naga’s instincts are able to withstand mind manipulation magic as well as magical compulsions. _

Harry had to wonder if maybe his ability to throw off the imperius curse was somehow linked to his naga instincts. He had read before that even as a human child, he’d still had naga instincts to a degree. 

_ If a submissive’s instincts feel positively towards the courting dominant, then the submissive will feel a strong pull towards trusting the dominant even if they normally would not. This is not to say that a submissive will automatically trust the dominant and not feel cautious around the dominant, it just means that the submissive's instincts does not sense any danger regarding the dominant.  _

_ It is completely possible for the submissive to decide they do not like the dominant and will turn down the dominant’s courtship. Even with the instinctual pull to trust the dominant and to accept a courtship, a submissive can say ‘no’. Once a decision is made, and the submissive does not have any lingering doubts, and the courtship is rejected, a submissive’s instincts will settle down and stop pushing the submissive to be courted by the dominant. _

That was definitely reassuring for Harry. He’d been so worried that his instincts would have control over his thoughts and feelings about things, but to read that Harry could still ignore his instincts was a relief. 

_ One complaint that many submissives have pertaining to their instincts, is that their instincts push for the courtship much too quickly. Many submissives feel as if they are being rushed into a courtship and aren’t given much time to think about what they want.  _

Yeah, Harry definitely felt like he was rushing into things with Voldemort. 

_ The rushed feeling is a remnant of a time when naga lived shorter lives and felt the instinctual need to mate and breed, similar to that of the snake cousin. The time of courtship evolved in the naga race as naga started living longer and healthier lives. Once a courtship is initiated, or rejected, the submissive’s instincts settle and allow for the submissive to take things at their own speed.  _

_ It must be noted that a submissive’s instincts do not replace their feelings and thoughts. Yes one's instincts do influence how one feels, but naga beings are not their snake cousins. The human part of a naga allows for deep and logical thought, something that creatures that do not have human aspects lack at times. The instinctual reaction to trust someone could be just as wrong as the logical reasoning to trust. It takes both the snake instinct and the human mind to make a final choice.  _

_ There is a possibility that a submissive’s instincts are wrong about whether or not a dominant is safe or dangerous. It is up to the logical side of the naga submissive to determine if their instincts are right or not. Thus the courtship period, which gives the submissive the time needed to get to know the dominant in a more personal way. _

Harry sat back to think about what he had just read and applied it to how he felt about Voldemort. His instincts trusted the man and probably sensed that he wasn’t a real danger to Harry anymore, but he also had his memories and feelings to fall back on. Voldemort had never lied to him, even when the man had been trying to kill him, which is something that Harry could logically trust about him. Using his thoughts, feelings, and memories, Harry could agree with his instincts that the Dark Lord could be trusted; at least to a degree. 

His instincts couldn’t really tell Harry whether or not Voldemort would be a good mate  _ for _ him though, just that he would make a good mate. If Harry was reading this right, then it was up to his human side to decide whether or not Voldemort was the mate for him. 

It was also true that since Harry had decided to say yes to the courtship, his instincts had settled down. So the book was right about that at least. 

The question for Harry was, could he be objective about the entire thing? Could he separate the insane Dark Lord that had been trying to kill him from the Voldemort that wanted to protect and court him? 

There was a knock at Harry’s door, stopping him from continuing to read. “Come in?” Harry slipped the piece of paper he’d been using as a bookmark between the pages he was on, and set the book back down. At least he’d gotten a few answers that made him feel a little better. 

The door opened to reveal that it was Draco standing right outside Harry’s rooms. To Harry it looked like the younger Malfoy was still nervous to talk to him, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as when Harry had first arrived almost a week ago. 

“Mother is wondering if you would like to join us for breakfast.” Draco tried to look unaffected by the invitation, but Harry could have sworn he saw a bit of hope in the other boy’s grey eyes. 

Harry was reminded of their first year, when Draco had offered his hand in friendship. He was doing a better job of hiding his interest now, but back then it was rather obvious that Draco really wanted Harry to take the offer. If the blond hadn’t been such a jerk to Ron, Harry probably would have said yes back then.

So far Draco had been doing a fairly good job at trying to be civil with Harry, that day in the garden had proven that there could be a tentative friendship between them in the future. Joining the other teen and his family for breakfast would probably be another step forward in getting along. Harry knew Narcissa would definitely appreciate the effort and, if nothing else, Harry wanted to make the Lady Malfoy happy. It was the least he could do for all the kindness she had shown him so far. 

“Sure, just let me put on a clean shirt.” Voldemort had switched the shirt Harry had been wearing for a soft nightshirt after Harry had fallen asleep, which had him hoping the older naga had used magic to make the switch. 

Draco was leaning against the doorframe as he waited for Harry to pick a shirt out from his wardrobe. “You know, mother is rather upset that she hasn’t been able to get the tailor here yet.” He was picking at his nails as he spoke, giving Harry a little privacy as the naga teen quickly grabbed a light green shirt. “The Dark Lord insisted you get a few extra days to adjust to living here before bombarding you with an actual sense in fashion.” 

The green shirt that Harry had put on made his scales look a shade lighter than they actually were, which brought out the sparkly aspect of his tail. 

“I mean, you can’t keep running around in my old clothes. You’re our Lord’s honored guest, you should have your own wardrobe to choose from.” Even as he said that, Draco was nodding at Harry’s choice. “I suggested mother also pick out a few accessories for you as well, especially if you’re determined to keep the longer hair.” 

“What’s wrong with my hair?” For years Harry had been rather subconscious about his hair, hating how untameable it was, so after his inheritance he’d grown fond of the longer look. 

Draco shook his head and held up his hands to placate the worried naga teen. “Nothing, it looks much better now than it did when it was short, I’m just saying you’ll need proper hair ribbons to keep it styled.” 

It was true that even though his hair was easier to manage when it was long, it did have a habit of getting into Harry’s face all the time. When he’d been in the forest, he’d used torn up strips from his old jeans to keep his hair tied back, but since he’d been able to properly wash it, Harry had been leaving it down. 

“Mother will also have the tailor design a few extra accessories for you based on the favored fashion from the Greek naga tribe.” Draco was saying as the two of them, with Harry’s snakes wrapped around him, headed down the hall. “Waist cinchers and corset belts have become rather popular lately.” 

Harry’s nose wrinkled. “Aren’t corsets a  _ girl  _ thing?” He had enough trouble with his gender identity lately, he really didn’t want to add to that by wearing things that were for girls. 

That little statement seemed to be the wrong thing to say to the younger Malfoy. He was staring at Harry with a snobbish glare that reminded Harry of when they’d been at odds with each other at school. 

“I’ll have you know that corsets were originally worn by men when they were invented! Corset vests are quite fashionable and many Lords have them fashioned into their robes.” Draco sounded so very offended that it left Harry fighting back a giggle. “Real fashion has no gender, it is art. You either have the body for it, or you don’t.” 

For a moment, Draco’s eyes travelled down Harry’s form and then back up. “You’re a bit on the skinny side so a full corset would do nothing for you. A cincher would accent your trim waist quite nicely. Although your hips really are quite narrow, though not as much as before your inheritance. Perhaps a corset belt instead?”

Harry should have known that Draco would be obsessed with fashion! There had been so many rumors going around school about how Draco spent over an hour styling his hair in the mornings and he had always been really upset whenever he got dirty at all. Harry had always thought that it was just because Draco was a snobbish prick, but now he was sure it was because he had been trained to know all about fashion. 

“I’d really rather not wear a corset at all Draco.” Harry attempted to say as he tripped and skidded down a few steps of the stairs. He cursed in parseltongue and put all of his focus on navigating the blasted stairs. Harry couldn’t wait for the day that he could go up and down the stairs without a single misstep or having to cling to the banister. 

“To each their own.” The way Draco sighed made it sound like Harry had ruined a dream of his.    
“Mother will probably still try to get you in some sort of high fashion, just as a warning.” 

And that was the end of their conversation since they had arrived at the small family dining room. Draco’s parents were already there along with Voldemort, who was seated at the head of the table once more. 

A small tea kettle like hiss slipped through Harry’s lips as he realized another adult had joined them for breakfast. 

Bellatrix Lestrange was seated next to her sister, chatting quite animatedly with Narcissa about something that Harry didn’t care to know about. All he cared about was the fact that the insane woman was there, at the table, smiling and being happy, when Sirius was dead. 

“ _ Harry, please be calm.”  _ His hissing had caught the attention of everyone in the room, especially Voldemort’s. “ _ Bellatrix is here to support her nephew and has orders not to bother you.”  _

_ “I don’t like her.”  _ Harry seethed and was half tempted to turn around and return to his rooms. If there was someone he hated most in life, it was Bellatrix Lestrange. Even before his inheritance, Harry had figured out that he hated the woman more than he had ever hated the Dark Lord. She had tortured Neville’s parents back when they’d been babies, done numerous horrible things that the Order refused to talk about when he was around, and then she had gone and killed Sirius during the Department of Mysteries debacle. 

Voldemort sighed softly and shook his head minutely. “ _ I know Harry, but you will need to learn to tolerate her. She does not know who you are and has no idea why you are so angry with her.”  _ He sympathized with Harry, really he did, but Bellatrix was Voldemort’s most loyal follower and he could not ostracize her from her own family. 

Even with that in mind, Voldemort knew if he had to dine with Dumbledore while pretending he didn’t hate the man, he would probably lose his sanity for a time and kill everyone at the table. At least Harry actually had his sanity and was able to keep from attacking the woman and as long as Voldemort kept Bellatrix from antagonizing Harry, they might be able to get through this breakfast in one piece. 

Bellatrix was doing her best to follow her Lord’s orders, but Harry could see that she was biting her upturned lip to keep from saying anything and her eyes remained unwaveringly on her sister. “ _ A little warning next time would be nice.”  _ Harry grumbled as he took his seat to the left of Voldemort. The relieved smile that he earned from Narcissa was enough to keep Harry’s irritation in check; for the time being at least. 

As soon as Draco was seated to Harry’s right, the wide array of breakfast foods appeared on the table. Like always, Harry had a selection of practically raw meat as well as a couple soft boiled eggs, some sliced fruit, and even a scone to try with a couple jams. 

Conversation flowed around Harry, mostly about what Draco was to expect at Hogwarts this year and how Lucius wanted Draco to do his best in his classes. Voldemort mentioned something about Draco fulfilling his new mission, but unlike the last mention of a mission Draco didn’t seem at all worried. 

Harry would need to ask someone about it later. 

“And I’ll be sure to write regularly of course.” Draco was saying after a lull in the conversation. “Hassis has already given me permission to write to him, if that’s alright with you, my Lord.” The young blond bowed his head a little in respect to Voldemort. 

The older naga didn’t say anything, he simply nodded in response. Voldemort was more interested in the leather folder that had appeared next to his breakfast plate. 

“It’ll be good for young Hassis to have someone his own age to write to. If there had been more time, we probably could have found tutors for Draco so he could have stayed home this year.” The cooing sound in Narcissa’s voice was very much like Hassaria’s when the snake was talking to Harry. “A young man needs companions after all.” 

There was a slight twitch to Voldemort’s brow which everyone seemed to notice as soon as Narcissa was done speaking. 

“Exchanging letters will be enough.” For a moment Voldemort felt a spike of possessiveness run through him. He didn’t want any other male around Harry, not when the teen had yet to accept or refuse his courtship proposal. Just the idea of more competition being around to fight for Harry’s affection and attention had Voldemort’s instincts rioting. No. He definitely would not allow another eligible male around Harry; at least for the time being. 

“Of course my Lord.” At least the younger Malfoy seemed to understand as he tilted his head down in respect. The act of submission that Draco gave to Voldemort helped to calm his riled up instincts and the older naga was able to take a few deep breaths to get himself back under control. 

He knew, logically, that the young Malfoy heir wasn’t interested in Harry in anything more than friendship. The young blond was as straight as an arrow and had only ever shown interest in young witches his own age. Voldemort had even overheard Draco speaking with his father about possible young women to court once his schooling was finished. 

Even knowing all that, Voldemort still did not want Malfoy anywhere near Harry for an extended amount of time. 

Voldemort returned to his file on the current affairs in the ministry and the rest of his eating companions returned to their various conversations. He did his best to ignore the quiet talking between Harry and Malfoy, but he couldn’t help but overhear a few words. He only tuned them out when they started placing bets on what sort of Defense teacher would be hired this year. 

“Draco dear,” With breakfast winding down and time marching ever forward, Narcissa was the one to cut the conversation between the two boys short. “We will be leaving for the train soon, if you would go and make sure you have everything packed?” 

Instead of arguing with his mother, Draco simply nodded and stood up from the table. “Want to come along Hassis? I have a few books you might find interesting enough to borrow.” He glanced over at the Dark Lord to make sure his offer wasn’t out of line. 

Anxious to get away from Bellatrix, Harry quickly accepted the offer and was out of his chair before Voldemort could offer up his own opinion on the matter. “Lead the way!” 

Bellatrix had followed her Lord’s orders to the letter, but that didn’t mean Harry was willing to stay in her presence for another second. Even Voldemort wouldn’t be able to stop Harry from leaving the room! His snakes on the other hand decided to head out to the gardens as they normally did during the day. 

For the first time since his arrival at Malfoy Manor, Harry was able to make it up the cursed stairs without slipping a single time. He was still clinging to the banister, but he reminded himself that it had taken a while for him to get used to slithering after his inheritance. 

“It’s horribly painful watching you go up and down those stairs.” Draco commented with a teasing smirk when Harry finally made it to the top. “I do hope you’ll be better at it by the time I return for the holidays.” 

“Har de har.” Harry snarled lightly with no real vehemence. “By the time you get back I’ll be dancing circles around you, just wait and see.” 

“Hard to dance with no legs.” 

“Then it’ll only be even more impressive when I do it!” 

“I’ll be sure to hire a full orchestra for you to practice with.” 

“Snob!” 

“And proud of it!” 

Harry was left stumped when, instead of insulting him back, Draco took full control of the argument. It hadn’t even been a real argument, not like the ones they’d had in school, because Harry hadn’t actually felt any anger or disgust at Draco while they had been fighting. If anything...Harry felt like he’d just been teasing back and forth with one of his friends. 

“Oh come on Hassis! You need to learn to be a little snobbish yourself now that you’re here.” Draco sighed exaggeratingly as they went down a hallway not unlike the one Harry’s room was on. “You’re going to be surrounded by purebloods and high born half-bloods that will be at least twice your age until I get back for the holidays. If you’re not at least a little snobbish, they’re going to eat you alive.”

“I’m not going to be a brat like you.” Even if he wanted to act like a brat, Harry wasn’t sure if he could. 

“I’m not saying be like me. You could never pull off my level of excellence.” Draco paused in front of a beautiful mahogany door with a silver nameplate with his name. “I’m saying you need a mask to protect yourself. Our Lord has been keeping his followers away from you, but it’s only a matter of time before you meet a few people.” He explained as he opened his door and led Harry inside. “You wear your emotions so openly that anyone can tell what you’re thinking. My aunt knows you hate her, but it only excites her more. If you can be a little snobbish, it’ll stop people from using your own feelings against you.” 

Strangely enough, it was good advice. It wasn’t the first time Harry had been told he was emotional and that people could read his emotions, but no one had ever told him how to protect himself from being used. 

“If you can’t pull off being snobbish, be standoffish. I think you could pull off the brooding loner type pretty well actually.” Draco became thoughtful as he invited Harry into his rooms. 

Unlike Harry’s rooms, which consisted of a large entertainment space on one side, a bedroom space on the other, and a large bathroom connected to it, Draco’s rooms were actually separate rooms. There was the living space, with lots of shelves full of books and trinkets, several seats and couches, and a fireplace, and then there were several doors leading to other rooms. Instead of the green and silver that Harry was expecting to find everywhere, he found the living space to have soft blue walls and a cream carpet. The wood furniture was a lighter shade of maple and the upholstery was a darker blue, closer to sapphire. 

“The point is to put up a facade around people you don’t know or trust. Don’t give them the chance to find a weakness and use it against you.” Draco was saying as he flopped rather gracelessly into one of his high wing back seats. “I use my snobbishness as a mask. My friend Blaise uses flirtation, Pansy acts the part of a prissy princess which she enjoys greatly, and Crabbe and Goyle pretend to be dumb when they’re really just quiet.” 

Draco paused in his speech as Harry made himself as comfortable as he could on the one sofa Draco had in his room. 

“Why pretend to be something you’re not though?” Perhaps Harry was just too honest for his own good, but for years he’d watched his relatives pretend to be the perfect normal family to the outside world when in reality they’d been terrible people. 

For a few minutes Draco just watched Harry as if the other teenager didn’t seem to understand the truth of the matter. In the end he just shook his head and sighed softly. “Harry...You’ve seen how people treat Slytherins. Sure you don’t do it much yourself, but you’ve heard Weasley. Most people only see Slytherins as evil, as future Dark Lords and Death Eaters.” As he spoke, Draco dropped his bratty, cold, snobbish persona so that the teen across from him could see his true self. 

His real self was still a spoiled brat, but he was also emotionally vulnerable. Draco had grown up in the lap of luxury, but he had never gotten to be open about his own feelings. His parents had loved him, but his father had always been distant with his affection while his mother had smothered Draco over the years. The only friends Draco had were only his friends because their parents were all in the same social circle. They’d become friends because it had been convenient and not because they had wanted to. 

Draco was a snob, but he was also anxious and constantly worried that he was going to mess up somehow. He was worried he would say or do the wrong thing at the wrong moment and ruin the Malfoy name. Whenever someone snapped at him or sneered at him, Draco would have a moment of weakness where he worried it was his fault and that he had messed things up. 

“It’s easier to ignore an insult when it’s about the fake part of you rather than the real part of you.” The words came out as a whisper from Draco. “Better to keep the real you hidden and protected when the world only wants to see what it wants to see.” 

For years Harry had never really thought about how the Slytherins had been treated. Ron had always called them slimy snakes and evil in the same breath. He hadn’t been the only one to say such things, lots of Gryffindors would talk about how Slytherins were just born bad. 

It was why Harry had kept what the hat had told him a secret. People switched between loving him and hating him so often that he didn’t want to give them an actual reason to think he was evil. 

And yet Harry hadn’t realized that the fear he had felt at people finding out he should have been in Slytherin was the same fear that actual Slytherins felt on a daily basis. 

“Just keep it in mind.” Draco said after a few minutes of silence had stretched between them. He pushed himself out of his chair and went over to the bookcase that ran along one wall. “I know mother and our Lord have given you a few books to read, but you’ll need something other than dry informative books to enjoy.” With that said Draco pulled down nearly a dozen books and brought them over to Harry. “These are some of the more popular fictional books the wizarding world has to offer. I’ll leave my living room unlocked for you so you can come and get more books once you’ve finished with these.” 

Shocked by the offer, and by the fact that the wizarding world actually had fiction, Harry took the stack of books into his arms. Draco must have cast a featherlight charm because the stack should have weighed down his arm, but instead it just felt like Harry was carrying a single book. 

“Draco...I was wondering about something you said at breakfast.” Harry set the stack aside for the moment. “When I got here, Voldemort had said he had given you a mission, and at breakfast you said you had a new mission. What’s going on?” 

“Heh, caught that did you?” Draco’s shoulders grew stiff and he winced as if in pain. “Before you showed up, our Lord had given me my first mission. I’m not marked yet, but he gave it to me anyway to prove myself.” Unconsciously he rubbed at his left arm as if to check it was still clean of any mark. Draco took in a shuddering breath and held it for a moment. “My mission was to find a way to get a large group of Death Eaters into the school undetected and then…” 

As he spoke, Draco had grown paler and paler. He was even starting to shake as he recalled exactly what it was that Voldemort had wanted from him. 

“And then?” Harry prompted when Draco stopped talking. 

Another shuddering breath left Draco before he was able to get himself to speak again. “Lord Voldemort gave me the order to kill Dumbledore.” 

A pin could have dropped at that moment and everyone in the manor could have heard it. Harry just stared at Draco in shock while the other boy dropped his gaze to the floor. 

“The mission was mostly to punish my father, seeing as how he had failed our Lord one too many times. Everyone knows killing Dumbledore is impossible, but failure is not an option. If I failed...it would mean my life.” 

“No!” Harry was instantly standing and hissing. “He can’t do that to you! He can’t give you an impossible mission just because your dad messed up!” Sure they weren’t quite friends yet, but Harry wasn’t about to let Voldemort kill the other teen as some sort of petty revenge. He’d go straight to Voldemot and force the man to change his mind or Harry would never accept the courtship offer!

“Harry! It’s fine!” Draco quickly said when the teenage naga started hissing and slithering angrily towards the door. “That’s not my mission anymore! Lord Voldemort changed his mind.” He had grabbed Harry by the shoulders to try and keep the other teen from storming out. “I don’t think our Lord was going to force me to go through with it, he was only trying to scare me and my father as punishment. He practically said as much to me the other day.” 

Slowly, Harry started to calm down. He still hated that Voldemort had issued such a horrid order, if only to scare Draco and his father, and he would definitely be having words with the man later about that. 

“So what’s your new mission then?” With Harry relaxing and no longer fuming, he noticed that Draco had gained a little color back in his cheeks and wasn’t nearly as tense. 

“I’m to be a spy at Hogwarts for the next two years. 6th years have more freedom around school so I’ll be able to go places that younger students aren’t able.” Draco was much happier with this mission seeing as how it was something he could actually do. “If I do well with my scores, I should be able to apply for an apprenticeship with Severus after I graduate. That’ll keep me in Hogwarts for several more years and I’ll be able to continue spying for our Lord.”

Spying, while it left a bad taste in Harry’s mouth, was something he understood had to happen. The light and dark sides were at war and spying was a part of war, and if a spying meant saving lives then Harry would not argue. 

“I think I have you to thank for this.” 

Harry’s head snapped around and he stared at Draco, who was smiling ever so slightly. “What? Why?”

For a moment Draco chuckled and he shook his head as if he couldn’t quite figure Harry out. “When you showed up, it was like our Lord changed. One day he was tossing crucios out like they were candy and the next he was brooding but sane. Mother went to him to offer her help in making you comfortable and when you seemed to actually like her, our Lord changed my mission.” Draco hesitated a moment as he realized his words could be misinterpreted by the naga teen. “Not that that was her plan! She genuinely wanted to help you when you arrived, Lord Voldemort made the change without even telling her about it first.” 

Seeing Draco flounder and sputter while trying to rephrase what he had said got Harry to grin. “It’s fine Draco, I got what you meant.” Harry reached over to pat at Draco’s shoulder comfortingly. “I do like your mom though. She’s really nice and has explained a lot of things to me this last week.” 

Draco physically relaxed in relief. “Mother has always had a soft spot for strays.” His signature smirk returned after a moment as he tossed in a teasing jab at Harry. “You know, she used to volunteer at St. Mungos as a healer for children before our Lord returned.” 

That was something that Harry had not known about Lady Malfoy. During all the talks he’d shared with the woman and Harry hadn’t actually learned all that much about her personally. It made him determined to change that though now that he had realized it. 

“You should head back to your rooms Harry. It’s almost time for me to leave and I’m sure you don’t want to run into my aunt again today.” 

“How can you even stand her?” Harry growled out as Bellatrix was mentioned. 

For a long moment Draco just watched Harry, a strange sadness in his eyes. “She’s family and family means everything to purebloods. She’s insane, sure, but the only thing more important to her than her family is our Lord. It’s hard to love her, I don’t think I ever could, but I do care about her just as she cares about me in her own way.” His aunt had a weird way of showing her affection, but at least she tried. 

It was weird for Harry to actually hear Draco talking about caring about his insane aunt. For Harry, family was either good or bad. His snake family was good and loving, but his human relatives were bad and hateful. For him there was no inbetween, and yet Draco seemed to be right there with how he felt about his aunt. 

Was this what people meant when they said ‘you can’t choose your family’? 

Harry shook the thought away and quickly left Draco’s rooms with his armful of books. It took a moment, and a call for Tippsy, for Harry to find his way back to his own rooms again. He had a lot to think about now and he wanted to do so in the privacy of his own rooms. 

Thankfully when Harry got back, his snakes were still gone. He loved his mum and brother, but sometimes he needed a little time to himself in order to get his thoughts in order. 

He couldn’t believe Voldemort had ordered Draco to kill Dumbledore! Getting Death Eaters into the school would have been hard enough, but killing the headmaster? It would have been impossible and Voldemort must have known that! Even if he had just been trying to punish Lucius, he shouldn’t have used the man’s son to do so. 

Then again, this was something that Voldemort would do and Harry seemed to have forgotten that fact in the last week. The man was a Dark Lord, no matter how considerate he had been treating Harry, and the man also had a limited amount of control on his sanity. Harry had seen a new side to Voldemort in the last week, but he shouldn’t have forgotten about the otherside so quickly. 

Voldemort was still a Dark Lord and was still waging a war against the light side. He was still ordering his people to kill certain targets and to spy in both the ministry and Hogwarts even though Harry had yet to see any of that in the week he’d been in the manor. 

For a brief moment, Harry had forgotten that there was a war going on. He wasn’t fighting anymore, but other people were and he had forgotten all about that fact. 

“ _ I’m such an idiot.”  _ Harry mumbled as he completely bypassed the couch in favor of his bed. He fell forward, his face becoming buried in the pillows and his tail writhing around on the blankets for a few minutes. 

He’d been so enamored with the ‘good’ side of Voldemort that Harry had allowed himself to pretend that the war had stopped. Voldemort still had insane followers like Bellatrix at his beck and call, followers that should be locked up in Azkaban because of how horrible they were, and he was still giving them orders and missions. Even while Voldemort was giving Harry gifts and making him feel comfortable and safe, the man was still plotting to take over the magical world. 

Harry had seen flashes of Voldemort’s insanity a few times, and yet he had ignored it in favor of listening to his instincts. 

Should he even accept the courtship offer now that he remembered who Voldemort really was and what he was doing? Harry’s instincts were insistent that Voldemort could be trusted, that he would make a strong and powerful dominant, but knowing that his thoughts and feelings also played a part in making any courting decision Harry wasn’t so sure if he should say yes anymore. 

The facts were simple and to the point. Harry knew he was safe, that Voldemort wanted him happy, and that the insane Dark Lord no longer wanted him dead. But Harry also knew that Voldemort was waging a war, was issuing kill and spy orders, and had no plans to stop until he had won. Harry knew his instincts wanted to be courted by the older naga, but he could not allow himself to forget just who Voldemort was. 

The resolution Harry had felt when he had decided to accept the courtship offer vanished and he once again felt confused over his own feelings. 

Voldemort was an insane Dark Lord, but what did that make Harry? What did it mean that Harry actually felt attracted to the older naga? Was he also insane or perhaps he was just too optimistic? What would his parents say if they knew what Harry was feeling and thinking? 

When he had dreamt about his parents during his inheritance, they had told him to follow his heart, but how could Harry do that when his heart was pulling him towards a killer? How could he willingly be courted by the man that had killed his parents and so many others? 

As he fought with himself, Harry’s hand snuck up to his chest where the gift Voldemort had given him was resting against his skin. It was too valuable to Harry now, it gave him a way to talk to Hedwig and Harry never wanted to give up the chance to do so. He didn’t want to give it back to Voldemort, and yet the guilt he was feeling made him feel like he probably should. The right thing to do would be to give it back and ask Voldemort to send him to the closest naga tribe, but Harry couldn’t even fathom doing something like that. What scared Harry most was the fact that it wasn’t just his instincts that were arguing against leaving. 

Harry had hoped that he had finished with this confusing argument with himself days ago, and yet it had circled back around to plague his mind. He felt so conflicted over his feelings for Voldemort that Harry eventually broke down into soft sobs. Everything felt so overwhelming to him at that moment and all Harry could do was cry. 

The more his conflicting thoughts and feelings circled around him, the more Harry came to realize he would never be able to completely separate himself from Voldemort. The horcrux inside of him would always keep them connected which meant Harry would never be free of the insane Dark Lord. Even if he were to refuse the courtship offer and leave for the naga tribes, Voldemort would always be an important part of his life, no matter what he decided or how he felt. 

Harry and Voldemort would never fight again, and the war would still happen with or without Harry, whatever he decided wouldn’t change any of those facts. He could never forget who Voldemort was and what he had done in the past, but perhaps there was something he could do to make the war a little less bloody? Hadn’t Draco just told him that Voldemort had changed during the week Harry had arrived? 

If there was a chance for Harry to limit the casualties in the war, he would take it. But how far would he be willing to go and just what was he willing to sacrifice? He wouldn’t be fighting anymore, but could he put aside his guilt long enough to try to get to know this good side of Voldemort better? Would he be willing to give up the chance for a loving partner if it meant keeping Voldemort sane? 

All these thoughts kept coming and going until finally Harry was able to slip into a restless nap. He was still conflicted, he would probably remain conflicted for a long time, but at least he would have the time now to live his life. 

For the first time in his life, Harry actually felt like he actually had a future to fret over, and it scared him to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 23. Poor Harry, every time he takes a step forward he just seems to fall 2 steps back. 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 5th of October.
> 
> Next time: Voldemort shows up to have a talk with Harry about getting a healer to look the boy over.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voldemort decides it's time for Harry to meet with a healer.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 24

Taking a nap did Harry a world of good. He still felt conflicted, but at least he wasn’t half as emotional as he had been after his talk with Draco. His head felt clearer and his emotions were settled once more, and for that he was grateful. 

The nap didn’t really help him to figure out whether or not Harry should accept Voldemort’s courtship proposal though. He was still as conflicted as ever on whether or not he should give Voldemort a chance. 

He just needed more time. 

Harry wished that he could talk to someone about the entire situation. This was one of those times that he was sure he was supposed to go to his parents for advice, but he didn’t have that option. Sirius would be the other person that Harry would have wanted to talk to, but he didn’t have that option anymore. Perhaps...perhaps if Remus…

No. As much as Harry wanted to talk to Remus, to get his opinions on what he should do, Harry knew he couldn’t. The man was firmly in Dumbledore’s pocket and besides that Harry had no idea how to get in contact with him. He doubted Remus would even be willing to talk to him once he learned where Harry was and what had happened to him. 

The only other person Harry could even think of that had known his parents well enough to go to for advice, was Snape, and Harry was sure if he did try to talk to the potions professor the man would have a heart attack. 

But Harry did have someone he would be able to talk to now. Narcissa had offered to be his confidant, someone he could talk to, but he didn’t know her all that well. She’d been kind to him and now, through Draco, he knew she was a healer for children. She seemed to genuinely care about his wellbeing, but talking to her about his feelings towards Voldemort seemed like it would be an extremely awkward conversation. 

And as much as he loved them, neither Hassaria nor Lash fully understood his human emotions so they couldn’t really give him the advice he felt he needed. 

Harry was lost in his sea of emotions with no compass to point him in the right direction. At least he didn’t feel like he was drowning at the moment. 

Determined to learn as much as he can about being a naga, mostly in the hopes of figuring out his chaotic emotions, Harry got out of bed and returned to the couch. He needed to finish the chapter on courtship behaviors and then he wanted to read the chapter specifically on submissives. 

Before he got too far into his reading, there was a knock at Harry’s door. For a moment he felt irritated at all the interruptions he’d been going through so far in the day; first Draco for breakfast and now this. Honestly though Harry shouldn’t really complain. After all he was a guest in another person’s home. Not only that but he had just had a few days of near solitude to adjust to his new living arrangements. 

It was probably Narcissa anyway, wanting to finally give Harry the full tour of the manor before bringing in her tailor to get Harry’s wardrobe made. Draco had warned him about his mother’s plans after all. 

“Come in.” At least people were knocking on his door rather than barging in. Having zero privacy was so normal for Harry that finally having a space all to himself where people didn’t come and go whenever they wanted, was a real relief. The Dursley’s had never respected his space and belongings, the Weasleys had always been coming and going while at Grimmauld, and with 4 other roommates in Gryffindor tower it really was impossible for Harry to get some privacy. 

Instead of Narcissa coming into his rooms though, it was Voldemort. 

Conflicted feelings flickered through Harry as he looked at the tall white scaled man. A part of him was glad to see him, had come to like spending time with the man, but after learning about Draco’s missions and how Voldemort had been using those missions as punishment, Harry was also hesitant to be around the Dark Lord. 

“ _ Harry...Would it be alright if I spoke to you about something?”  _ Sensing that the younger naga was not completely comfortable with his presence, Voldemort stayed standing halfway between the door and the sitting area of Harry’s rooms. He only came closer and took his seat after Harry had nodded. 

“ _ This is not going to be easy to discuss, but it needs to be done.”  _ Voldemort started off with. “ _ After observing you for the last week it has become obvious that your home life was, to put it bluntly, horrid. You’re severely underweight, you're shorter than most of your age group, and you favor your hands as if they pain you.”  _

Harry winced as each of his physical issues were laid out one by one. After suffering from his relatives  _ wonderful  _ care year after year, Harry was always surprised whenever he returned to school with even a tiny bit of extra weight. 

What really surprised Harry was that Voldemort had noticed his hands when no one else ever had. Harry knew he was good at hiding when he was in pain, and hiding the results of his childhood abuse, but there wasn’t much he could do about the stiffness and soreness in his finger joints. 

He knew why his hands hurt so much. For years his relatives had used his hands for their punishments whenever he did something wrong. His aunt would hit his hands with a frying pan whenever he burnt food, his uncle would slap his hands with a paddle whenever Harry would talk back, and Dudley always seemed to find great pleasure in slamming Harry’s hands into door jams and then slamming the door closed on his fingers. 

So now Harry’s hands had a subtle shake to them and sometimes he had trouble gripping onto things. His dexterity wasn’t the best, but with all the years of practice he had at living with his damaged hands, Harry was able to pass it off as nothing. 

Honestly Harry had been expecting at least one of his teachers to notice and make comments about how bad his handwriting was. Writing with a quill was difficult enough, but with his fingers stiff and shaking it made his words sloppy and almost illegible. Only Snape had ever said anything, and that had only been to insult him about it. 

Hermione would sometimes make comments about how he should practice writing, to try and make his writing easier to read, but she had never tried to figure out why his writing was so bad. 

Then again with how bad Ron’s writing was, having bad writing was probably normal for most teenagers in the wizarding world. 

“ _ My hands hurt sometimes, but it’s not really bothersome.”  _ As he said that, Harry rubbed his hands together nervously. They hadn’t been too stiff in a while, probably because he hadn’t been doing much with them recently. Other than the small chores around the nest and the hunting in the forest, Harry had been rather relaxed with his body. 

Voldemort eyed the younger naga as he rubbed at his fingers. “ _ Be that as it may, I would like to request my personal healer come and take a look at you.”  _

_ “What? Why?”  _

Sighing tiredly, Voldemort forced himself to stay calm. He knew why Harry would not want to see a healer. When Voldemort himself had been young he had been too prideful to ask for help. Being seen by a healer was like admitting that you were weak, something that Voldemort most definitely was NOT. Like many abuse victims, he had also felt ashamed at how he had never been able to protect himself properly and Voldemort was sure Harry felt similar. 

“ _ Your body needs healing, Harry. Without proper nutrients and a well balanced diet, long term effects from starvation could prove to be disastrous for you. Already I believe you are suffering from issues caused by starvation.”  _

Harry scowled at Voldemort. He always hated whenever his small size was brought up, but he knew the man was right. He knew he was really underweight and that he had issues with food because of it. “ _ I’ll just try to eat more. I always feel better after a couple months of eating more at school.”  _ At least that always seemed to fix things before. 

Voldemort shook his head and frowned at the boy. “ _ Eating more will help eventually, but if you’re not getting what you need, then eating the wrong foods can be just as damaging as not eating at all.”  _ He held up a hand to keep Harry from arguing. “ _ Your inheritance was a month ago and yet you are still having issues with cooked food. The naga book will tell you this as well,but usually it takes a week to two weeks for an inherited naga to adjust to their new diet.”  _ He quickly explained before Harry could become angry.

“ _ Your body is still not able to process cooked human foods when it should. I am not a healer, nor do I claim to know everything about our kind, but I do know that there is something wrong.”  _

Having not known that his body should have adjusted by now to his diet was an eye opener for Harry. “ _ H-how long did it take you?” _

Seeing that the younger naga wasn’t about to explode had Voldemort relaxing minutely. “ _ It took me 9 days to adjust to my new diet. I had to rush a bit and force myself to eat as normally as possible since I was still at Hogwarts during my inheritance.”  _ Even after those first few weeks Voldemort still had issues eating certain foods. “ _ Don’t misunderstand what I’m telling you, eating human food will still be difficult for you for sometime, but you should at least be able to stand cooked meat, vegetables, and bland dishes such as rice. And yet you become ill rather quickly when eating such foods.”  _

Harry wanted to argue and demand how Voldemort would even know about that seeing as how they had only eaten a few meals together in the last week, but he figured the house elves must have been reporting back to Voldemort after every meal. He should have been surprised and upset by that revelation, but it just made Harry feel a little grumpy. The elves were only doing their jobs after all and Harry could not blame them for that. 

“ _ Will you allow my healer to examine you Harry? I promise you he is very trustworthy and he has already sworn a vow to keep your identity a secret.”  _

For several long minutes, Harry just sat there rubbing his hands together. He really didn’t want anyone to look at him, he barely put up with Pomfrey at school taking care of him, but he knew that Voldemort was right. His body needed healing. Harry had no idea how bad off he was at the moment or what his inheritance might have changed in him. 

Slowly and stiffly, Harry nodded his head. 

“ _ Thank you Harry.”  _ With that decision made, Voldemort stood up and swiftly walked back to the door. Instead of leaving though, Voldemort just opened the door wide and motioned for someone outside to join them. 

“ _ Wait! Now? You want to do this now? _ ” Harry jumped out of his seat and slithered around it to put as many obstacles between him and the stranger as he could. 

Voldemort frowned at the startled teen. “The sooner the healer takes a look at you, the sooner we can come up with a healing plan for you and the sooner we can get you to full health.” He did not mention the fact that he had been planning to spend all day arguing with Harry until the boy agreed to the exam. 

Hissing and sputtering were the only answers that Voldemort got from Harry. The boy was now backing up towards the bathroom door, probably planning on barricading himself in the small room so the healer wouldn’t be able to get to him. 

The healer in question had frozen the moment Harry had hastily tried to get away. Having dealt with the Dark Lord for the last couple decades, he was used to volatile emotions. 

“ _ Harry, please, Healer Callaway is the best in his field and has been my personal healer for sometime. He will not hurt you.”  _

Being hurt was not what Harry was worried about, he could care less about getting hurt or feeling pain. He just did not want this stranger finding out how horrible his life had been. It wasn’t anyone’s business what Harry had gone through while living with his muggle relatives. 

“ _ I don’t- I mean…”  _ How was Harry supposed to explain to Voldemort how he didn’t want anyone, especially a doctor, getting close enough to give him an exam? Madam Pomfrey had never needed to physically check him over, but she’d only ever had to deal with new damage and injuries and not anything from a life of abuse. Harry didn’t want to be poked, prodded, and put on display.

Even though he had no idea what his Lord and the boy were talking about, the healer in question very slowly took a step forward. That movement pulled Harry’s attention from Voldemort to focus completely on the stranger. 

The man looked older, with grey hair peppered through dark brown strands that were cut stylishly short. The man was clean shaven and there were quite a few small wrinkles around his mouth and at the corners of his eyes as if he smiled a lot. His build was rather average and undistinguishable. The only thing about the healer that stood out, were his warm brown eyes that reminded Harry of a smoky quartz gem he’d learned about in divination last year. 

“Hello Hassis, my name is Joseph Callaway and I’m a healer that specializes in creature inheritances.” The man’s hands were slightly raised and his wand was loose in his left hand. “I imagine you really do not want me to be here, but my Lord is greatly concerned with your health and wellbeing. He has asked that I run a few diagnostic spells, with your permission, to see if there are any injuries or ailments that need to be addressed.” 

Harry’s hissing softened, but he still wasn’t willing to let the man get any closer to him. 

“I can do all the necessary spells from here if you are not comfortable with me invading your space, I would just need you to hold still for a few minutes.” 

“You won’t...have to touch me will you?” 

Of course that was what the problem was and Voldemort felt like an idiot for not realizing it. Submissive naga were extremely sensitive to having strangers near them and did not like being touched by anyone they did not trust. 

Healer Callaway smiled gently and shook his head. “Diagnostic spells do not require touching. Afterwards I might need to physically touch you to confirm any readings, but I will not do so unless I have your permission. I will do everything I can to avoid touching you if that is what you want.” 

For a long time, the two men stood across from Harry waiting for the teenager to come to a decision. He was biting at his lip and his eyes were darting back and forth between Voldemort and the healer. “What sort of spells are you going to do?” 

Growing up, the idea of going to a doctor for an exam had freaked Harry out. His uncle had always told him horror stories growing up about what doctors would do to him once they figured out just how much of a freak Harry was. Even when he started going to Hogwarts and knew that he wasn’t actually a freak, just the idea of a doctor looking him over left Harry nervous. It’s why he always tried to get out of the Hospital Wing as quickly as possible whenever he got hurt. 

“I would like to do a full body diagnostic reading. Our bodies are like trees, even when they are healed, past injuries and illnesses leave markers behind. Surface injuries, like bruises, scrapes, cuts, first degree burns, and so forth won’t register since our skin is constantly regrowing and removing surface injuries. But things like broken bones, organ damage, scarring, head trauma, severe illnesses, and nerve damage will be picked up by the diagnostic spells.”

Harry shuddered and he wrapped his arms around his chest protectively. He didn’t want anyone to know about what had happened to him in the past! All the times his relatives had hurt him had been because they were punishing him for something or other. As a kid he had always felt so much shame for being such a freak and that shame hadn’t really gone away. 

“ _ What is this stranger doing here?”  _

_ “Mum!”  _ Harry wasn’t sure if he was relieved or feeling frantic that his snake mum had decided to return at that moment. He had told her a little about what his relatives had done to him, but not everything. A full diagnostic exam would reveal every bad thing that had ever happened to him and even if Harry didn’t tell her about it, he just knew Voldemort would. 

“ _ This is healer Callaway. I would like him to give Harry an exam so that we can bring his body to full health.”  _ Sure enough it was Voldemort that informed Hassaria of the situation. “ _ We are asking your Hassis to allow healer Callaway to do a full diagnostic exam.”  _

Being the non magical snake that she was, Hassaria didn’t quite understand everything she was being told. She knew what a healer was and that her hatching was weaker than he should rightfully be, but she had no idea what an exam was. “ _ This exam will be good for Hassis?” _

_ “I don’t need a full exam!”  _ Harry insisted, trying to stop Voldemort from convincing his mother of needing something so in depth. “Isn’t there a different exam you can do? One that’s not so detailed?” 

Callaway hesitated and glanced at his Lord. “There is, but it would only really be able to give me information for the past couple months. Any damage done to you due to long term starvation or from life long injuries will be left unchecked. Eventually the deeper damage will negate any healing we can do based on a simple diagnostic exam.” 

Voldemort was translating all of this to Hassaria, using terms that she would better understand. 

“ _ Hassis you must let the healer look at you! I want you to be healthy and strong.”  _ Hassaria coiled up Harry’s body and settled on his shoulders like she normally did. “ _ I do not want you hurting, my Hassis!”  _

Harry’s stubbornness was wavering in the face of his mother’s worry. Perhaps if he had been alone Harry could have convinced the healer and Voldemort to just do a simple diagnostic exam, despite their concern. But with his mother here worrying about him and his health, Harry caved. 

“Fine.” His hands balled up at his sides and he looked at the ground angrily. He would let Callaway do what he wanted, but he didn’t have to like it. 

“ _ Hassaria, you will need to come away from Hassis while the healer works.”  _ Voldemort held out a hand and motioned for the snake to move off of Harry. “ _ I promise you that your hatchling will not be harmed or touched while the exam is being done.” _

Trusting that the older naga knew what he was doing and that he would do everything he could to protect her hatchling, Hassaria moved back to the ground and then up onto the couch where she could keep an eye on both the healer and her hatchling. 

“ _ I still don’t think I need to have a full exam done.”  _ Harry grumbled agitatedly even as the healer lifted his wand up and started chanting softly while waving complex patterns in the air. 

_ “I understand Harry, but since you are now under my protection I want to make sure there is nothing that will be detrimental to your health.”  _ Voldemort tried to sound as soothing as possible even while the younger naga glared at him. “ _ It is better to take care of this now when you are young and have time to heal rather than let you be in a great deal of pain when you are older.” _

_ “I said yes didn’t I?”  _ The snarled hiss was met with a stony narrowed glare from Voldemort, but Harry didn’t really care. He felt like he’d been cornered and forced into this and that Voldemort had used his mother to do so. 

So Harry stood there, letting the healer work, hissing softly under his breath the entire time. He didn’t care that Voldemort was watching him or that his mother was cooing worriedly. Harry just wanted to get this over with so that he could kick them all out and sulk by himself. 

“My Lord?”

Apparently the diagnostic spell had finished faster than Harry had thought it would. Healer Callaway had already lowered his wand and was handing over a long sheet of parchment over to Voldemort. Harry watched and with each passing second that Voldemort’s eyes stayed on the parchment, Harry started to nervously fidget. 

Stony silence filled the room and Harry went from being angry over being forced to do this to feeling anxious over the results. He could remember quite a few times that his relatives had broken his bones, but he imagined there were quite a few more that Harry hadn’t realized were there. 

“Perhaps we should sit down, my Lord and discuss things?” Joseph Callaway suggested when the Dark Lord finally looked up from the parchment. 

“I want a diagnostic done on Hassis’ magic as well.” Voldemort snarled out before any of them could sit down. 

“Why? My magic is fine.” Now Harry was really confused. A physical diagnostic was understandable since it was obvious Harry wasn’t at all completely healthy, but he had no idea why Voldemort would want his magic checked. 

“Indulge me. Dumbledore has already tried once to put a leech on you, I want to know if he has tried to do anything else.” 

Harry hadn’t thought about that, but Voldemort was right in worrying. If the old man had tried to do something like put a leech on Harry’s magic in order to power up a golem, then there was no way of knowing what else he had done. 

With how often Harry had been alone with Dumbledore over the years, the old Headmaster had plenty of time to do just about anything. 

Callaway didn’t even have to ask for permission this time, Harry was already nodding in agreement. It was like the boy cared more about his magic than his physical body. Quickly, the healer began waving his wand once more and speaking in long strings of latin. Once again a piece of parchment appeared before him, but at least this one was very limited in what it listed. 

The parchment was handed over to Voldemort once more and the Dark Lord took a quick look over it. He didn’t look very happy about what he found, but at least Harry was able to tell that there wasn’t anything really horrible listed. If there had been, Harry was sure Voldemort would have exploded. 

“Sit.” The order was more for Callaway, but Harry figured it was for himself as well. Once they were all sitting, Harry taking up his couch and leaving Voldemrot and the healer to the armchairs across from him, Voldemort handed over the longer parchment. It was Callaway that started speaking once Harry was given the results of the exam. 

To be honest, Harry barely understood what it was he was reading. He understood some of the terms, like fracture and break, as well as malnutrition, but a lot of the medical terms on the parchment went over his head. 

“The diagnostic charm I used is able to pick up and list most internal damage done to your body throughout your life, but is not able to give an exact time of each injury; just an estimation of when it happened during your growth. That being said, I have only ever seen this much damage in victims of excessive long term abuse.” As the healer spoke, he kept his expression as neutral and unemotional as he could. 

“I will not ask about your home life, as our Lord has already assured me that you will never be returning to your previous family, but if you ever want to press charges and have your previous caregivers arrested I will be more than willing to testify on your behalf.”

Harry blinked stupidly for a moment, unable to really process what he had just been told. He had known for years what his relatives had done to him was abuse, but he had never thought about the legal aspect of what had been done to him. The idea of taking his relatives to court and him getting justice for what they had done had never been an option to him. 

Hearing that Joseph Callaway was offering to be on his side was strange and Harry didn’t know how to feel about it. He didn’t even know if he ever wanted to do anything about the Dursley’s since he had been planning on just leaving his life in Britain behind. 

Not really expecting to get an answer from the boy, Callaway continued forward. “That being said, I need you to understand that the healing process is going to be long and drawn out.” There was a subtle wince at the corner of the healers eye then. 

“First off let’s address your bones. Those will be the least complicated to heal.” Callaway waved a wand and at least three quarters of the lines on the parchment in Harry’s hand started glowing. “You have a great many improperly healed breaks and fractures in many of your bones. Some of the breaks were even rebroken several times only to be left to calcify and heal badly.”

Not that Harry really understood the words on the parchment, but he nodded as Callaway explained things better. 

“Normally I would suggest rebreaking the bones and healing them with a quick bone setting charm. In your case though the damage is too extensive and your bones would become too brittle and weak from the rebreaking.” That method was only ever used when a patient only had one or two old breaks anyway. 

“With the combination of how weak your bones are with how many breaks that need healing, I would suggest vanishing your bones in sections and regrowing them. Thankfully your right arm only has some micro fractures so we can heal those up without needing to vanish the bones.”

“Yeah, I already had those bones vanished back in my second year.” Harry grimaced in distaste as he remembered the skelegrow he’d been forced to swallow down all night. 

Callaway frowned thoughtfully, the first sign of any emotion since he had first read the diagnostic parchment. “I’m surprised your healer didn’t decide to do a full body bone replacement at that time.”

Harry sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Madam Pomfrey wasn’t the one who vanished my bones. It was an accident done by the fraud teaching defense that year. She just regrew them.” 

Both Callaway’s lips and Voldemort’s thinned at that little nugget of information, but Callaway quickly cleared his expression. “Have you never had a full exam done in the past? Hogwarts charter states that all students need to have an updated full exam on file every year that they attend school. St. Mungos requires that Hogwarts keeps those files updated regularly.” 

That was news to Harry, who shook his head with a befuddled frown. 

“Hassis was raised in the muggle world, so he should have had an exam done in his first year regardless of the charter.” Voldemort hissed angrily. He would need to speak with Lucius about having the Hogwarts medical records checked by St. Mungos to see just how many students had been neglected over the years. 

“Madam Pomfrey only ever checked me over for the stuff that brought me in to see her.” At least Harry was pretty sure the mediwitch had never done a diagnostic exam on him. The woman was always concerned about her patients leaving the hospital wing too soon, but other than that she never really asked any extra questions in regards to his health. . 

“Hm.” Callaway didn’t make a comment past that small sound, but he would definitely be filing an investigation request into the mediwitch at Hogwarts. 

“Continue Callaway.” Voldemort’s voice was like steel and everyone could see he was fighting hard with himself to keep his temper in check. 

“Yes my Lord.” The healer nodded his head and cleared his throat. “The entire process of regrowing your bones safely will take several months. Your inheritance was able to heal some of the damage, especially to the bones that were shifted to create your tail, but there was only so much the magic from your inheritance could do. So a few bones from your tail will also need to be vanished and regrown to ensure that they will be strong enough to handle you regaining your legs when the time comes.” 

With a wave from Callaway’s wand, the lit up lines of the parchment in Harry’s hands changed. 

“The muscle and nerve damage are not as extensive as the bone damage. There are a few potions I will want you to take for the nerve damage, but the muscle damage will need to be healed naturally with physical therapy and periodic deep muscle massages.” Agan Callaway waved his wand and a few more lines lit up. 

“You have some deep skin scarring mostly from burns, punctures, and cuts from sharp implements. There are creams and balms that you can use to reduce the scarring and relax the tightness in your skin, but unfortunately there isn’t much that can be done for any scars that were made through magical means.”

Harry rubbed at the spot on his arm where the Basilisk had bit him and then at the scar that Pettigrew had given him during Voldemort’s resurrection. “What about scars that aren’t magical but were made for magic?” He would really like to get rid of the scar on his arm if he could. It was a reminder of Cedric’s death and the horror from the tournament and Harry hated it. Thankfully, most of the scars he’d gotten from his uncle’s ‘punishments’ had been healed away by his magic during his inheritance.

“That shouldn’t be a problem so long as the scar wasn’t made using a spell.” The only issue Callaway could see is if magic had been imbued into the wound, but that would have shown up on both the physical and magical diagnostic exams. 

“Surprisingly enough your organ damage is minimal, I believe your magic can be thanked for that. The only real damage can be linked to long term starvation and malnutrition.” Joseph’s lips thinned for a moment as he eyed the boy’s slight frame. “Sadly nutrition potions can only do so much and cannot replace what you never received growing up. All we can really do is build up your body's nutrients from this day forward and make sure you keep to a steady and healthy diet.” 

Magic could work miracles, but even miracles had their limits. 

“After we vanish and regrow your bones, you might be able to gain an inch or two in height. The nutrient potions will help to ensure your new bones do not become weak and brittle again as they regrow.” 

“Human nutrition potions have an ingredient combination that naga’s are unable to digest, I will have to contact a naga healer to learn of a substitute for Hassis to take.” Voldemort had mostly remained silent as the healer made his report. He would have to make sure all the potions Harry would need to take would be safe, seeing as how Voldemort only knew about the nutrition potion.

“That would be best, my Lord. I have worked with many patients who have had creature inheritances, but you are the only naga I have ever worked with.” And in that time Callaway had never had to prescribe potions to the man. 

Callaway turned back to Harry again. “Although the nutrition potions cannot replace what you lost, they will help to train your body on how to properly process nutrients. At the moment your body still believes it will be starved and thus is storing what it believes you will need and flushing out the rest even if it is something you actually do need. This is not your fault, it is simply something every person does in a time of famine or food scarcity.” 

It was a common enough occurrence in starvation victims that treatment had been well researched and tested. 

“I would recommend a nutrition potion twice a day for at least two months and then bringing it down to once in the morning for a year. After that we can do another exam and determine if you still need a daily potion.” Callaway had summoned a new piece of parchment and a self inking quill and was writing down the healing regimen that he thought the boy would need. 

“Unfortunately I believe you will need to take nutrition potions for the rest of your life. Perhaps not daily, but at least weekly. Now that your body has trained itself for long term starvation, it will always assume that you will be starved again. The best way to handle that is to give your body the nutrients it will need so that you will gain the full benefits from any food you eat.”

“Isn’t taking too many potions bad for you?” Harry had been staying quiet throughout the entire thing, not really sure if he should say something or not. He’d never been to a doctor before so he had no idea what sort of questions he was supposed to ask. 

Callaway actually cracked a smile then and he shook his head at the young naga’s worry. “For certain potions, yes, but nutrition potions are supplements. For someone that is healthy, a nutrition potion could make them nauseous, but for someone like you who has been deprived of necessary nutrients all your life a nutrition potion would be a necessary boost to your system.”

By the sounds of it the potion would be a lot like the muggle vitamins that his aunt tried to get her husband and son to take. 

“I do not know about the naga equivalent, but normal nutrition potions also have an anti nausea component to allow patients to eat more food without feeling sick.” Callaway added as he looked through the healing regiment he had written down. “I would suggest speaking with a naga healer about a diet plan as well. I know naga tend to eat more raw meat, but I would like to see more calcium in Hassis’ diet to keep up his bone health. We don’t want his body pulling nutrients from his bones when it doesn’t need to anymore.

I noticed you don’t have any signs of any vaccines in your blood work, even the muggle vaccines that are normally seen in muggle raised patients. You’ll need to check with a naga healer to see if you can get those vaccines as soon as possible.” Like most healers, Callaway believed that everyone should be vaccinated. It was ridiculous that people in this day and age were still susceptible to things that could be prevented. Dragon Pox was especially vicious and it didn’t make sense for people to not get vaccinated against it. 

“That’s the last thing for your physical exam.” Callaway nodded to Voldemort and the man slowly handed over the smaller parchment. “As for your magical exam, there are a couple things that concern me.” 

Harry definitely understood the next list a lot better than he had the last. The first thing he saw was about a piece of foriegn dark magic attached to his magic that Harry assumed was Voldemort’s soul piece. 

“It’s perfectly normal for residual magic to become attached to a person’s magic. It’s especially to be expected in teenagers attending a school with highly concentrated levels of magic like Hogwarts.” Callaway smirked a little again as if he’d told Harry a little joke, but his smirk cleared quickly. “The dark magic that is attached to your magic is benign and cannot be cleansed from you by any means that I know of.”

“Do not bother with it.” 

At his Lord’s order, Callaway stopped with what he had been about to write down. For a moment he eyed Voldemort, concerned about what the Dark Lord meant, but the hard look Voldemort was giving him had Callaway sighing and nodding. 

“The other thing that concerns me are the residual compulsions.” Callaway knew his Lord had already read through the list, but when he brought up the old spells he could see Voldemort gritting his teeth. “From what I can tell they were long term compulsions meant to continue working well into your adult years. The magic from your inheritance that healed many of your wounds at the time also broke the compulsions on you.”

“There were compulsions on me?” Harry swallowed hard and he found that he couldn’t focus on the paper in his hands. “W-what were they?”

“Technically you still have compulsions attached to you.” Callaway said with a sigh. “Long term compulsions are difficult to break and they always leave residue that lingers. If they aren’t removed within the first couple years of being placed…” The healer shook his head. “They can affect a person’s personality.

The ones that were put on you were done when you were still a baby. You grew up with them and even if I was able to cleanse the residue from your magic, you will always feel a phantom effect of them. Similar to a phantom limb.” 

“What can be done then?” Voldemort asked with a growl. He didn’t want his submissive being influenced by something like a compulsion when all the boy wanted was to live a life of peace. 

“Mental and Emotional therapy would be a good place to start, which would require a long term mind healer.” Both Voldemort and Harry looked ready to snarl at him, but Callaway continued. “There is no miracle cure to the side effects of compulsions. Compulsions, even small ones, settle deep within the mind. A person has to be able to acknowledge that they are there and be able to recognize when their decisions are being affected by the compulsions before any healing can happen.” 

This was why Voldemort hated compulsions and why he stuck with the imperius curse. Compulsions were too much like brainwashing and after what he had gone through as a child, being dragged to church and having the preacher trying to exorcise the magic from him, it felt too similar. It took years for Voldemort to even get over the trauma and to stop thinking of himself as some kind of possessed demon. 

“D-do you know what the compulsions were?” Harry’s voice came out weak and he could feel tears in his eyes. “Is there a way to find out who put them on me?” 

“I can tell you what they were, but the magic signature of the compulsions is too degraded to tell who it belonged to.” Callaway reached for the parchment to be handed back to him. When it was given over, he set it on the table between them and pointed to the first compulsion. 

“This one would explain why you didn’t want me to test you. It’s a compulsion to avoid medical professionals and medical care. It would make you feel anxious, nervous, and fearful of any healer trying to help you. It would also keep you from telling anyone about any pain you might be feeling.” Callaway sneered at the paper, his professional control of his emotions slipping more and more. 

Harry swallowed hard and nodded. It was true that he had always been afraid of the doctors, but he had always assumed it had been because of his uncle. He had also always felt nervous around Madam Pomfrey whenever he’d been forced to go to the Hospital wing. 

“This one here,” Callaway pointed to the next one on the list. “Is a bit indistinct. It’s meant to encourage following orders from authority figures, but only those that you see as family? From what I’m understanding, it’s meant to keep you from fighting back against anyone claiming to be a guardian of yours.”

“And with Dumbledore being your magical guardian, you would never feel the need to go against him.” Voldemort cursed in parseltongue. 

Callaway nodded, but he was frowning. “It’s very degraded though and it looks like it was failing even before your inheritance.”

“That was probably due to Hassis’ naga instincts. Even before inheritance, a naga will still have strong instincts as a human.” 

Harry was sneering at the parchment. With how his relatives had treated him, Harry would have never willingly obeyed them. He only did as he was told because they were a threat to his life and Harry had never had any other place to go. If he’d had even a sliver of a chance to get away and live somewhere else, he would have taken it in a heartbeat. 

“This last compulsion was to keep you from asking questions about questionable circumstances.” Again Callaway pointed to a line on the parchment and then leaned away. “Normally if something strange happened, a person would wonder why it happened. Like during a bout of accidental magic. You would never feel the need to know why it had happened or what exactly had happened.”

That would explain why Harry had never asked questions about all the weird events during his years at Hogwarts! He had thought a troll breaking into the school was a normal occurrence back in his first year. When he’d been given detention in the forbidden forest, even after Dumbledore had said it was off limits, Harry hadn’t thought to wonder why. 

And yet during the last month, all the questions and disbelief he had felt over the years had popped up in his mind. It had felt like a blindfold had been removed and he could actually see all the little things that had escaped him growing up. 

“Separately these three compulsions wouldn’t have been too bad, but together they made you into a trusting and naive boy who would want to do everything in his power to please authority figures regardless of your health, safety, and wellbeing.” It was a dangerous combination for a young boy to have growing up and Callaway knew the boy would have trouble with his impulse control because of the compulsions that had been on him for years.

Harry hated how right Joseph Callaway was. He had been really trusting and naive while at Hogwarts, believing that Dumbledore only had his best interests at heart and actually cared about him. It wouldn’t even surprise him anymore if it had been Dumbledore who had put those compulsions on him. 

“The only other thing the magic scan found was what looks like basilisk venom in your system. It looks like there are phoenix tears as well, but your inheritance burned most of the tears away. I would bet your own venom is very similar to basilisk venom because of that.” 

All in all the diagnostic scan on Harry’s magic was a far sight better than his physical exam had been. Voldemort wasn’t that surprised as anything stronger than compulsions would have required dark magic, which Dumbledore was adamant he never did. 

The old man was a stickler about being a leader of the light and he would never do anything to weaken that position.

And yet there were some light spells that Voldemort felt were worse than dark spells. Compulsions, like most mind magics, were considered light and yet they could do just as much damage as a crucio. 

Harry was staring at Healer Joseph oddly with a slight tilt to his head. “How can I still have the basilisk venom in me? I was bitten back when I was 12.” 

It was Voldemort that gave Harry an answer. “Basilisk venom is imbued with magic Hassis. It is not only venomous, but also acidic. The longer it takes to be neutralized, the more it will eat through whatever surface it is on. The magic in the venom makes it extremely difficult to remove.”

“You’re very lucky to have gotten a hold of those phoenix tears so quickly. The tears kept the basilisk venom neutralized, but they weren’t able to completely remove the venom from your system.” Callaway continued with Voldemort’s explanation. 

“But how is it still in me?” Harry asked again, his frustration over all this new information getting worse. 

By the way both Voldemort and Callaway were frowning, neither had a straight answer for Harry. 

“I’m guessing the basilisk was old?”

“Almost a thousand years old.” Voldemort smirked with pride before that smirk fell into a scowl when he remembered that such an ancient creature was now dead. 

“Then I imagine its venom was very powerful. It has been theorized that the older a magic snake is, the stronger their venom is. The stronger the venom, the harder it is to neutralize and eradicate. Only a full purge of your blood within an hour of being bitten would have gotten the venom completely out of your system Hassis.” Callaway had been turned towards Voldemort, but he turned back to Harry again. “Enough time passed that after a while the venom fused with your blood. The phoenix tears neutralized the venom so that it wouldn’t be deadly for you.”

Voldemort started chuckling darkly and he had to wave to Callaway to continue when the healer looked questingly at him. 

“Simply put, the venom is still in you because the basilisk was very old and had very strong venom and no one thought to properly treat your injury when it happened.” Callaway finished off.

Harry sat stunned for a few minutes, just staring at the healer and Voldemort. This was not at all what he had been expecting to happen when Voldemort had brought the healer in. 

“So...what now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 12th of October. 
> 
> Next time: Harry and Voldemort share a very nice dinner that could easily be seen as intimate. Then Voldemort goes and decides it's time to find the spy among his minions.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry finishes up his meeting with Healer Callaway, he and Voldemort share a very suggestive meal together, and Voldemort decides it's time to 'talk to' Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D
> 
> Edit 10/18/2020: Several errors were found and fixed.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 25

After a long talk, it was decided they would hold off on starting Harry’s healing procedure until after Voldemort was able to get in contact with a naga healer from the tribe in Greece. Although Naga were closely related to humans, their differing metabolisms made it so that certain potions would make a naga sick while others were deadly. 

Healer Callaway was right, it would be safer to just wait for an actual naga healer to come and take a look at Harry to determine what could and could not be done to bring him up to optimal health. 

They were still arguing over whether or not Harry should have a mind healer for therapy, but that was an issue that could be dealt with later once he was more comfortable. 

Before he left, Callaway was able to re-break and set a few of the smaller breaks in Harry’s tail seeing as how they were the least damaged of all the bones in Harry’s body. He left Harry with a simple pain relief potion, one of the few potions that naga could take safely, and instructions to take it easy for a few days as his tail may feel stiff and sore from his bones being set and healed. 

It was the best Callaway could do until Voldemort was able to get the list of approved potions from the naga healer if the healer could not make it themself.

“ _Thank you for going through with the examination Harry.”_

It had taken a while, but Voldemort was eventually able to calm his anger over everything that had been done to Harry over the years. Now his voice was soft and he was moving slowly as if trying to calm a startled deer. 

“ _Didn’t give me much of a choice, did you?”_ Voldemort might have calmed down, but the earlier anger Harry had felt returned, even if it was more muted than it had been. “ _Had to tell my mum about it so she would be on your side!”_

_“Hassis, please do not be angry.”_ The snake in question whispered soothingly from where she had settled around Harry’s shoulders. “ _I only want you to be happy and healthy in life. If you are in pain, you can be neither.”_

_“I’m not in that much pain.”_ Harry grumbled stubbornly. Sure he got sore and stiff most days, but he was used to it. As long as he never had to deal with the Dursley’s again, Harry figured he’d be fine. 

Voldemort shook his head sadly as the older adder continued to try and calm down her upset son. It wasn’t his place to try and get between the two. He had done his job as Harry’s protector and had brought in a healer as soon as he had been safely able to. 

Now they knew what was wrong and they could begin healing Harry. As much as it pained Voldemort to admit, he couldn’t just use magic to instantly make the younger naga completely fine. 

It would take months, perhaps even years, before Harry was fully recovered from the long years of abuse. Thinking that it was only because of Harry’s creature inheritance that had brought attention to his medical issues had Voldemort seething. 

Albus Dumbledore was the magical guardian of all children raised in the muggle world and yet the man had failed in protecting Harry Potter. He had a full time mediwitch on staff, and yet he had never gotten the woman to check Harry for injuries or illnesses. The man had probably never checked on Harry’s home either, which he should have done at least once a year or had one of his professors do it if he was too busy. 

This was why Voldemort had tried to pass the Child Protection Act back when he had first tried to change the magical world via politics. The CPA would have created a new department in the ministry which would have spread the burden of responsibility out evenly amongst specialized workers. 

Unlike now where almost all of the welfare for children relied completely on the headmaster of Hogwarts and his staff. 

Voldemort had lost count of just how many abuse victims had joined his ranks over the years because Dumbledore had done nothing to help them. There were a few purebloods that fell into that category, but most were half-bloods. Although he didn’t accept muggleborns into his ranks, he did know of quite a few that had been abused and abandoned because of their magic. 

There were very few people who knew about it, but those abused muggleborns did actually support him and he saw them as unmarked followers. Through subtle manipulation, he had made sure those muggleborns that supported the dark made it into higher ranked jobs and positions of power. 

It helped that the fact these people were muggleborn was kept a secret and most people believed them to be half-bloods. 

Eventually Voldemort would make sure all magical children had stronger protections and wouldn’t have to rely on an unreliable old man once they turned 11. 

“ _Are you hungry at all Harry?”_ Voldemort asked, trying to perhaps relieve some of the tension between the two of them. “ _I thought perhaps you would like to try a new type of meat that I had ordered for you.”_

Harry’s eyes narrowed. If he didn’t know any better, this was going to be another courting gift from Voldemort. The book had said that the dominant would continue to give gifts until the submissive either accepted or rejected the courtship proposal. The first gift had been the pendant that allowed Harry to talk to Hedwig, so any other gift would be smaller. The gifts would just be given to remind Harry that the courtship offer was still there. 

If Harry turned down the gift, Voldemort would assume he was rejecting the courtship, but if he accepted it then Voldemort would continue to wait for Harry’s answer. 

Did Harry want to reject Voldemort’s courtship offer? His instincts still wanted him to say yes to the man, but his human mind was still on the fence. 

The entire thing was just too confusing for Harry, especially after taking into consideration how Voldemort had just brought in his personal healer to take care of Harry. 

“ _I guess I’m a little hungry.”_ Harry mumbled after an internal fight with himself. He needed more time to think before giving Voldemort his answer, so accepting the little gifts would buy him that time. 

The smile that absolutely radiated from Voldemort had Harry blushing and openly staring at the man. With the man’s looks restored to him there was no way anyone could ever forget just how handsome the man was, but seeing him smile like that was simply breathtaking. The way that smile stretched those soft lips and creased a little dimple on Voldemort’s cheek, the way his red eyes came alive and sparkled, it was almost enough to make Harry forget for a moment that this was the Dark Lord that he was looking at. 

A snap of a finger summoned a large tray of perfectly cut thin steak strips that had an even marbling of red meat and white fat. At the center of the tray was a flat thin stone resting over a flame that was walled in on three sides. 

“ _I would like you to try a cooked strip first to see if you would be able to enjoy it.”_ Voldemort was saying as he picked up a couple of sticks and held them in a V shape between his fingers. “ _The Kobe Wagyu is delicious raw, but a slight cook practically melts the fat and makes the meat turn to butter on your tongue.”_

Harry was enchanted as Voldemort spoke. He’d never heard of a kind of meat that turned into butter, but he also didn’t know enough about rare meat to know if he was telling the truth. Instead he watched in fascination as Voldemort picked up a piece of the raw meat and set it down onto the stone at the center of the platter. 

Instantly the meat began to sizzle and the most delicious scent of cooking meat wafted towards Harry. It smelled like beef, but had a richness to it that Harry had never smelt from beef before. It left his mouth watering and his eyes glued to the red meat.

After barely a few seconds, Voldemort flipped the piece of meat over to let the other side sizzle against the stone. 

“ _The beef is so rich that the fat barely needs to get hot before it starts to melt.”_ The older naga was saying as Harry watched the meat sizzle. “ _Only a tiny bit of sea salt is used to season the meat as anything more will ruin the flavor.”_

Voldemort lifted the strip of beef from the stone and held it out to Harry with the sticks. “ _Open.”_

The way Voldemort said that one word, his voice so deep and sultry, had Harry blushing again. This felt a lot more intimate than a regular lunch, and yet Harry could not seem to stop himself from parting his lips to open his mouth. Their eyes met and held even as Voldemort slipped the thin strip of meat onto Harry’s tongue. 

For a moment Harry was too distracted by the possessive look in Voldemort’s eyes to notice the flavor of the meat. That all changed when he bit down. 

Just as he had been told, the meat was like butter against his tongue. Harry didn’t even have to chew more than a couple times because of how soft it was. The taste though! Harry had never tasted something so rich and all consuming and he had never thought meat could taste like that. He could taste the hint of salt, but it only enhanced the full flavor of the meat. 

Normally any fat in meat would make the meat difficult to chew, but with how soft the meat was it just fell apart in Harry’s mouth. 

The look of shock and awe on Harry’s face had Voldemort laughing softly. He had first come across Kobe Wagyu during his travels after graduating from Hogwarts. The meat was so flavorful and indescribable that Voldemort had first believed it had to have come from some sort of magical beast. 

Learning that the cow was raised, butchered, and cooked by muggles had been a huge surprise to Voldemort and a small part of him had admitted that maybe some muggles had good ideas after all. 

When he had made the decision to offer a courtship to Harry, Voldemort had already decided to order the special Japanese beef for them to enjoy together. 

As Harry enjoyed the first strip of meat, Voldemort cooked a piece for himself and happily slipped it into his mouth. He hummed softly as the flavor filled his mouth and rolled across his tongue. He would need to order more later for them to enjoy. He would have liked to have given Harry the Kobe on a regular basis, but the people who raised the cows only allowed so much to be exported at a time. 

One by one the strips of meat were cooked and shared between Harry and Voldemort. With how light the sear was, Harry was able to eat the cooked meat without feeling ill, which was a relief for the both of them. 

Harry was almost sad when he was given the last piece of meat, but his stomach felt pleasantly full and he was pretty sure if he tried to eat any more he would burst. 

“ _Did you enjoy the Kobe?”_ Voldemort’s voice was still as sultry as when they had first started eating and he was staring so intensely at the younger naga that it made Harry swallow nervously. 

It felt like there were butterflies in Harry’s stomach and he was afraid if he tried to say anything he would end up stuttering. All he could do was blush and nod, which had the older naga smiling rather pleased with himself.

“ _I am very happy to hear that.”_ And Voldemort was. It always made a dominant happy when a gift was enjoyed by the submissive, even if it was something as simple as a meal. Knowing that he had made Harry happy was extremely satisfying. 

As much as Voldemort wanted to spend time with Harry, he needed to get to his study to start writing those letters for the naga tribe. If international travel weren’t so restricted and tedious, Voldemort would have just gone to Greece himself to take care of things. 

With that in mind, Voldemort stood from his seat. The empty platter with the cooking stone vanished. _“I am sure you would like some time to yourself now, but if you need anything, just call for Tippsy.”_

_“Oh! Um, sure.”_

The reluctance in the younger naga’s eyes was refreshing for Voldemort and he almost decided to just stay for a few more minutes, but his pressing need to take care of Harry, to get the information on what potions Harry could take to heal, was too strong. The sooner Voldemort took care of that letter, the quicker he would get a reply. 

Still, the way Harry stood to follow Voldemort to the door and stared at him as though he wanted to say something, had Voldemort hesitating in the doorway. 

Slowly, so Harry could pull away if he felt uncomfortable, Voldemort reached out with one hand towards the beautiful submissive naga. His fingertips hovered for a moment just above Harry’s cheek before Voldemort finally pressed them lightly to the speckle of green scales that ran along Harry’s cheeks. 

Just that small touch had the boy’s cheeks turning red once more, but Harry did not pull away. There was a spark of hope inside Voldemort’s heart then and he couldn’t help the fond smile that spread across his lips. 

“ _Would it be alright if I joined you for dinner?”_

“ _S-sure!”_

After one last lingering touch, Voldemort turned and left. 

The boy was such a temptation and the longer Voldemort was around him, the worse things became for him. His instincts wanted so desperately for the submissive to accept him, but Voldemort knew he had a lot of work ahead of him. He had years of insanity and violent interactions working against him after all. He would have to work slowly, to show Harry that he would make a good dominant for the young man, even if it would severely test his patience. 

As soon as the door shut behind him, the smile that had been lingering along his lips vanished and Voldemort was left scowling at the empty hall. Already he could feel his instincts fighting with him to return to Harry. All his instincts wanted was to stay next to Harry and bask in the submissive’s presence. 

He stalked down the hall, his robes billowing behind him with each step. His agitation grew and grew even as he made it to his study. 

To say Voldemort was in a bad mood was an understatement. When he had asked Joseph to come and give Harry an exam, Voldemort had already prepared himself mentally to learn of the bad things that had happened to Harry during his life, but to read of all the damage and abuse his relatives had done to him? It had taken all of Voldemort’s control not to leave to find and destroy the horrid muggles. 

Seeing that the boy had been under compulsions had almost broken Voldemort’s control. He had figured that Dumbledore would do something to the boy, especially since the man had attempted to place a leech on Harry’s magic, but having it confirmed was just too much. 

At least the man hadn’t done anything worse than the three compulsions. If the old man had been any less of the morally light idiot he was, Voldemort had little doubt that Harry would have been covered in even more compulsions and bindings. 

That didn’t mean Voldemort wasn’t angry over the entire situation. 

It was quick work to write out the letter for the Greek naga tribe once Voldemort was at his desk in his study. Although he had to rewrite it a few times once he had calmed down enough to realize he’d worded the letter very harshly. 

He hated that he was having to ask for the Greek tribe for help in this matter, but he was stuck. Voldemort didn’t want to risk Harry’s health by giving him potions that were dangerous for naga, but he also didn’t want to notify the tribe that he had a newly inherited submissive male under his protection. 

There was a high chance that the tribe would send someone to meet with Harry immediately once they learned of the boy’s existence. 

After all Voldemort himself was STILL getting letters from various tribes trying to convince him to join them. The tribe in Greece, being one of the largest tribes in the world and the only tribe in Europe, was the most insistent of all the tribes. It didn’t help that it was also the closest tribe to Britain. 

The only thing working in Voldemort’s favor were the heavy travel restrictions in Britain for dark creatures. 

So he wrote the letter, informing the tribe that he had Harry and that the boy had come from a bad home life before his inheritance, and he needed to know what bone growing potions, nutrient potions, and other healing potions would be safe for him to take. Voldemort also requested the recipes for those potions so that he could have his personal potions master make them. 

“Tippsy.” Without looking up from his desk, Voldemort heard his house elf pop into his study. “I will need you to take this letter to Gringotts for me.” He told the house elf as he rolled the letter up and pressed his Slytherin Lordship ring against the wax seal. “Have them send it immediately to their branch in Greece and then have it taken to the Naga tribe. Have them pull the necessary fees from my vault to expedite the process.”

The sooner he got the letter to the tribe, the sooner he would get the information he needed for Harry. 

His elf took the letter from his hand and bowed deeply to him before vanishing with a small pop. 

Now all he had to do was wait, and Voldemort hated waiting. He had been forced to wait around in the forests of Albania for almost 12 years after his fall and it had done nothing to help with his already limited patience. 

He might as well get some work done, seeing as how he had been putting off most of his responsibilities as a Dark Lord for the last week. So he summoned another house elf and had the little creature go and tell Bellatrix that he needed to speak with her. 

In no time at all the insane woman was in his office and bowing before his desk. 

“You sent for me, my Lord?” The woman was positively ridiculous to Voldemort in the way she worshipped him. Sure he liked it when his followers were devoted to him, but Bellatrix took that devotion to a whole other level. 

“You did well this morning, I am very pleased.” Voldemort had found that if he rewarded the woman with praise first, she was more likely to take his orders all the more seriously.

“Thank you my Lord!” Bellatrix was still bowing to him, which was fine with him seeing as he kept her gaze on the floor and off of himself. 

“As you know, Hassis is a very sensitive young man and I want to make him as comfortable as I can. That being said, some very….troubling information about his life before joining us has come to light.” Voldemort didn’t even try to stop the angry snarl that enveloped his expression. “For the next coming months, Hassis will be in a very delicate state physically while he heals. As such, I am ordering you to ensure his safety while he is staying here at the manor.”

Bellatrix gasped happily and she was practically shaking with anticipation. “My Lord honors me with such an order! What would you have me do?” 

Voldemort sneered at the woman. She was way too eager to accept any order that had to do with Harry. He knew she wasn’t interested in the boy in any sort of romantic sense, if anything he was sure the woman saw Harry as more like a pet. Even so, as long as he ordered her to treat him with respect, Voldemort knew Bellatrix would obey. 

“Eventually Hassis will come across more of my Death Eaters. When that happens, I want to make sure that they will not so much as think harmful thoughts towards him. I want you to make sure my Death Eaters know that Hassis is an honored guest and that should _any_ harm befall the boy, I will take it as a personal attack to myself.” 

“You wish for me to train your followers my Lord?” If possible, Bellatrix seemed even more eager than she had before. 

Voldemort nodded at the woman’s question. “Do as you must. I imagine my most loyal will not need very much convincing, but the younger Death Eaters may be a problem.” Those that had been following him for years would know that Voldemort was being extremely serious about this, but the younger generation wouldn’t understand. 

They would see this as some sort of favoritism towards Harry and Voldemort imagined quite a few would become jealous. Some would probably even try to become friends with Harry just to try and gain favor with Voldemort. 

Although he wanted Harry to be happy, and if the boy wanted to make friends that was fine, Voldemort didn’t want anyone taking advantage of him. 

“What of the werewolves?” 

Nagini had already reported to Voldemort what had happened between Fenrir and Harry when the wolf had returned the boy’s broom. The thought of the man flirting at Harry had Voldemort wanting to rip the wolf a part. 

“I have already warned Greyback, but if he approaches Hassis I give you full permission to crucio him.” Werewolves might be able to fight back the pain curse a little, but using it would get the point across. Voldemort would not allow anyone to upset Harry. 

“Sit Bellatrix.” Voldemort was getting tired of looking at the woman’s bowing form. 

Immediately Bellatrix took the seat across from her Lord at his desk. 

“Now. What of your other mission?” 

The excited grin that Bellatrix had been giving Voldemort faded into a scowl. 

“Both Rodophuls and Rabastan have been quietly questioning your followers, my Lord. They started with the lowest of your followers and have been slowly working their way up.” 

Shortly after Voldemort had broken his followers out of Azkaban, he had become extremely paranoid. After what had happened last time, before his fall, Voldemort wanted to make sure that there would be no weaknesses in his organization. So he had tasked Bellatrix, her husband, and her husband’s brother to question all of his followers to see if anyone of them were possible spies. 

The plan was simple really. People tended to trust the two men a little more than they did Bellatrix so they were able to quietly move through the lower tier. Once they found someone questionable, the person was taken to Bellatrix for more intense questioning. 

So far Bellatrix had uncovered three spies, all young and newly marked. Two had been aurors that had just finished their training and one had been a young Hogwarts graduate that had been in Ravenclaw. 

“Have any more spies been found?” Voldemort asked as he busied himself with the reports that had been stacking up on his desk. 

“None so far my Lord, but Rodolphus has been hearing some whispers.” She bit her lip for a moment, concerned how her Lord would take the news. “Whispers that there is a spy in the inner circle.”

The quill Voldemort had been holding snapped in his grip and the Dark Lord looked at the woman sharply. 

“How accurate do you believe these whispers to be?” He demanded with a subtle hiss in his voice. 

It would be just his luck that there was a spy in his inner circle. Already his mind was going over each and every one of them trying to figure out who the spy could be. He could think of a couple that had always had reasons to defect from him, but time and time again they had always sworn loyalty to him. 

“I treat all whispers and rumors as true.” Bellatrix quickly stated. “I will not allow some filthy rat to put your great work at risk, my Lord!” 

Filthy rat. 

That reminded Voldemort that he had to do something about Pettigrew. He doubted the man would recognize Harry for who he really was, but Voldemort was not willing to take the chance with Harry’s safety. 

“Continue with your work Bellatrix. I want any and all spies found and brought before me.” It was vital that they cleanse their ranks of any and all traitors as quickly as possible. He wanted the ministry to fall to them within a year, but even one spy could ruin his plans. 

The rumor that there was a possible spy in his inner circle was worrisome, but it made sense. He had wondered why the mission with the Department of Mysteries had gone so badly, but a spy being in his inner circle would explain things. 

“Dismissed Bellatrix.” 

His dismissal of the woman had her pouting, but she obeyed and left without a single word of argument. 

Voldemort had no doubt in his mind that Bellatrix would perform her missions admirably and he knew that by the end of the day all his Death Eaters in the manor would know to give Hassis their full respect. 

Once the woman was gone, Voldemort leaned back to think. He had 16 loyal inner circle members and supposedly one of them was a spy, if he believed the rumors. He had thought each and every one of them completely loyal, but apparently he was wrong. 

One by one, Voldemort reviewed what he knew about his inner circle and what sort of reasons each one would have for ever turning on him. 

Antonin Dolohov was the first of his followers and was one of the few people he considered to be a friend of his. They had attended Hogwarts together, had bonded over their shared classes and hatred for idiots. Dolohov had even gone to Azkaban rather than plead being imperiused. The man was more loyal than even Bellatrix, and that was saying something. 

It wasn’t like he could be questioned though, Dolohov had been captured during the Department of Mysteries debacle and because of his previous imprisonment, there was no way for the man to bribe his way out. 

Another one of his followers that had been recaptured and sent back to Azkaban was Augustus Rookwood. Although he had been useful and valuable both before and after Voldemort’s fall, Voldemort admitted that the man had the skills to be a spy. After all, Rookwood had been a spy for Voldemort before he had been captured the first time. 

The man was smart, a genius in many different areas of magic, and that’s why he had been recruited to be an unspeakable after graduating from Hogwarts. He was also an amazing actor, what with how charming and social he pretended to be. He made friends so easily with people from many social circles that it was easy to not realize just how much of a strategizing manipulator he was. Voldemort knew the truth though and he had utilized the man’s many strengths as a spy. 

Rookwood had used his extensive network of informants exceedingly well and had always reported everything he had learned, even the bad things. Most of Voldemort’s followers would try to find a way not to report bad news, but Rookwood never tried to do that. Even when he was frightened, he would just give Voldemort the full truth and never would he lie. 

The only reason Voldemort could think of that Rookwood would have to spy, would be to gain some sort of protection and forgiveness from the ministry. But the man wasn’t dumb. Rookwood knew that eventually Voldemort would take down the ministry and any potential protection would be gone. 

Alexander Avery Jr, the son of an old school friend of Voldemort’s, was a coward of a man that would often try to lie to avoid getting into trouble. Voldemort had caught him in several lies and had punished him each and every time, and yet the man still claimed to be loyal. He had avoided Azkaban after Voldemort’s fall and he had never tried to find Voldemort after the Dark Lord had vanished. 

In all honesty Voldemort had only made the man a member of the inner circle because Voldemort had been close to Avery Senior. He had been hoping the son would be just as valuable as his father, and yet Voldemort found him lacking. 

It had been Avery who had given Voldemort the wrong information about how to retrieve the prophecy orb. At the time Voldemort had thought that maybe the man had simply been incompetent, but it was possible that he had purposefully given him the wrong information. He had also been one of the few Death Eaters sent to retrieve the orb that had escaped capture. It was possible that Avery Jr could be the spy that Bellatrix had heard whispers about. 

Bellatrix herself wasn’t even worth considering. The woman was so loyal it bordered on obsession. The only reason Voldemort could see her being a spy, would be because she thought spying on Voldemort would benefit her Lord in some way. Bellatrix was so insane though that she could never pull off being a double spy. 

Corban Yaxley, like Lucius Malfoy, had been given very specific orders to do everything in his power to infiltrate the ministry and make himself as valuable as he could. Those orders had been made before Voldemort’s fall and he had been pleased to see that both men had done what they could to continue following those orders. He was also one of the few followers that Voldemort had that was completely sane and actually wanted more from the war than just torture and bloodshed. 

Out of all of Voldemort’s followers, Yaxley was probably one of the only ones that found no enjoyment at all from the raids that Voldemort sent him on. The man preferred verbal torture and cruelty rather than physical.

He was also one of the followers that was able to think about long term plans. Oftentimes Voldemort would call on Yaxley to help plan for the reconstruction of the ministry and the magical world. 

Even when the man had thought Voldemort was dead, he had still worked towards their shared goals. The likelihood that Yaxley was a spy was low and Voldemort doubted anyone would ever be able to turn the man from Voldemort. 

That line of thinking brought Voldemort to thoughts of Lucius Malfoy. Although the man was definitely more loyal to his family than to his Lord, he would not be a spy. Being a spy would put the man’s family at risk and if there was one thing Voldemort could trust about Malfoy, it was that the man would never willingly put his family at risk. It was why Voldemort had agreed to not mark Narcissa, but to allow her the freedom to be a simple supporter. Giving Malfoy’s wife that safety had bought Voldemort a great deal of Malfoy’s loyalty. 

And now that Voldemort had changed Draco’s mission, Lucius would definitely be less likely to turn against him. 

It was the same situation with Draco. The boy would remain loyal so long as Voldemort did not threaten his family. The boy was loyal to his father and mother and would do as he was told. That much Voldemort was sure of. 

Besides, if they ever did turn on Voldemort, he would simply sick Bellatrix on them. Sure his most loyal would be upset over having to harm her sister, but she would never accept the fact that her sister’s family had turned traitor. 

Crabbe and Goyle were both rather unremarkable men and they were only members of the inner circle because their parents had actually been important. While Crabbe had been captured during the battle at the DoM, Goyle hadn’t been given any of the information for the mission. 

And yet Voldemort heavily doubted either one could be spies. They were dim and rather terrible at occlumency. Voldemort was able to see straight into the minds without even trying to. Even if the light side offered to protect their sons in the exchange for information, they wouldn’t take it. They knew that Voldemort would know instantly if they turned to the other side. 

Then again...both Crabbe and Goyle had been able to avoid Azkaban after his fall. It was possible that no one thought them smart enough to lie about being controlled, but it was also possible they had simply blackmailed and bribed their way to freedom. The Crabbe and Goyle families weren’t as rich as the Malfoy family, but they did have a substantial amount of galleons. 

Voldemort’s thoughts turned to Theodious Nott, son of Cantankerous Nott. He had met Cantankerous some time after he had graduated from Hogwarts at a Malfoy hosted ball. Although Cantankerous had chosen to only be a supporter, as soon as his son had become old enough, Theodious had become one of Voldemort’s followers. 

The only reason Voldemort knew that Nott could not be a spy, was because of the eternal oath of allegiance that the original Nott patriarch had sworn to Salazar Slytherin. Since there had not been a Heir to Slytherin in centuries, the Nott family had never had to keep up with the oath. As soon as it came out that Voldemort was a descendant though, and was a parselmouth, Cantankerous had quickly renewed the vow. 

No. The Nott’s would never be disloyal to Voldemort. To do so would kill every male member of the family line. 

Like with Bellatrix, Voldemort didn’t even need to think about the Lestrange brothers. Both brothers had immediately begun searching for Voldemort after his fall and had never wavered in their devotion to their Lord even during their years in Azkaban. He had only just barely been able to keep the two brothers out of Azkaban, and that was only thanks to a pair of portkeys that they had started carrying after Voldemort had broken them out of the prison the first time. 

Macnair was one of the followers that Voldemort just barely put up with. The man was bloodthirsty so it was easy to make him happy by offering him up victims to torture and kill. In all honesty, Voldemort wouldn’t really care if he lost the man and he was half tempted to just leave him in Azkaban when the time came to set his followers free. 

In fact, now that Voldemort had to be worried about Harry’s safety, it might be a smart idea to leave Macnair to rot. The man seemed to enjoy torturing creatures and animals even more than he enjoyed killing humans. 

The spy had to have been someone who knew about the Department of Mysteries mission, which meant Travers couldn’t be the spy. Voldemort had sent him on a fact gathering mission shortly after breaking him out of Azkaban. Travers had been sending reports back, but otherwise he was still out of the country following Voldemort’s orders. 

That left Voldemort with Severus Snape and Peter Pettigrew. Out of the two of them, he was more likely to believe Pettigrew was the spy, the rat that he was. Voldemort knew the man had only joined him out of fear and he also knew if Pettigrew thought he could find safety somewhere else, he would try to leave. It was the reason Voldemort had cursed the man’s silver hand. If Pettigrew ever tried to become a traitor, the hand would kill him. 

But Voldemort knew there was always a way to get around a curse, and even though Pettigrew pretended to be incompetent, he was still an above average wizard. With how much of a backstabber the man was, he could easily find a way around the killing curse. 

And yet, as loathe as Voldemort was to admit it, Severus Snape could just as easily be the spy in his ranks. The man was already a spy, bringing him information on Dumbledore and taking back information that Voldemort wanted the old man to have. The dark haired man was also exceptionally powerful in occlumency, even Voldemort had trouble seeing into his mind. 

Back before Voldemort’s fall, the man had begged his Lord and Master to spare Lily Potter’s life. At the time Voldemort hadn’t thought much about it, thinking that the potions master was simply wanting the woman for himself, but there was a strong possibility that he had underestimated just how close Snape was to the woman. 

But Voldemort had not told Snape about his plans for the Department of Mysteries, so it was impossible for the man to have taken that information to Dumbledore. Snape’s position as a spy in Dumbledore’s ranks had been too important to risk. 

Voldemort had to wonder though, what would Severus Snape think if he learned that Harry Potter was here in his manor? A sudden thought occurred to the Dark Lord as he remembered seeing Snape in Hedwig’s memory. Snape knew Potter had been reported missing, and yet the man hadn’t brought that information to his Lord. It was definitely something that Snape should have told him, especially since Voldemort had asked him several times over the summer to report Potter’s movements. 

Seeing that there were still several hours before the train would arrive at Hogwarts, Voldemort sent a house elf to bring Lucius to him. Voldemort wanted answers from his potions master, and he would get them. 

When Lucius was at his side, Voldemort pressed a finger to the dark mark on the man’s arm. The Malfoy Lord hissed in pain, but did not move a muscle while Voldemort used the power in the mark to locate and summon Severus Snape. 

“Snape will be here soon. Send him straight to me.” Voldemort ordered Lucius and sent the man away. 

Oh yes. Voldemort would definitely be getting the answers he wanted from the man and if he didn’t like what he was told...well...he was going to need to find a new potions master.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I hope that meal scene was enough fluff for everyone. It's going to be awhile before anymore comes around. Also, I've had kobe wagyu. It's...oh my god I don't have words. This chapter barely covers the experience I had. You guys, I can barely DESCRIBE it. UUUUUGH. If there is one thing to put on your bucket list, it's to try Kobe Wagyu. 
> 
> Next chapter will be Monday the 19th of October. 
> 
> Next time: We get inside Snape's head and find out what's been going on with him during the summer.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape's perspective of what has been happening. He thinks long and hard about everything that has happened to Harry over the years and after secretly learning about Harry's inheritance, makes plans to find the boy and get them both out of Great Britain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say, that I am neither for or against Snape. He was abused and harassed growing up, but that is no excuse for how he treated his students. On the other hand, he and Dumbledore both knew he would have to return to Voldemort to spy on him, so Snape had to keep up his angry cold persona the entire time. If anyone thought he felt anything other than hatred for Harry, it would have gotten back to Voldemort. Which would have put Snape at risk as a spy. 
> 
> Still no excuse for how he treated Neville. Neville did not deserve that.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 26

The years had not been kind to Severus Snape, and he felt it every single time he woke up and had to face the coming day. He was in his thirties, and yet his body had suffered so much pain that he felt like he was twice his age. 

He was weary of life, of the hardships he had endured and of those yet to come and yet Severus had to continue forcing himself onward. It was a fitting punishment for the betrayals he had committed in his life, having to continue living even though all he wanted was to rest. 

As much as he wanted to just lay down and never wake up again, Severus knew that wasn’t his fate. He knew he would end up dying some horribly painful death all because he had made an oath to the one person he had loved in life. 

Lily Potter, once Lily Evans, had been the only person to worm her way into Severus’s cold abused heart, and he had never stopped loving her even after he had ruined their friendship. Even when he tried to dedicate his life to the Dark Lord, to changing the magical world, Severus had still held a small flame in his heart for Lily. 

Had he known that she was pregnant and would give birth to a little boy in July when he heard the snippet of that blasted prophecy, he would have never told his Lord about it. If he had only kept in contact with Lily, somehow, perhaps he could have saved her and her little family. 

Instead he had gone to Dumbeldore and had trusted in the old man to save his childhood friend and her family. Severus had trusted that the old Headmaster would know what to do and had promised to be the man’s spy to ensure Lily’s safety. 

And yet Dumbledore had failed. The man that Severus had put all of his hopes into had failed to do the one thing Severus had begged him to do. When Severus had found out that the only protection on the Potters had been the Fidelius charm, he had lost his mind. He knew of dozens of wards and protections that would have done a better job than just a simple Fidelius charm, and yet none had been used. 

His beautiful Lily had died shielding her precious son from the Dark Lord, and it had been Severus’ fault. 

When Lily had died, Severus had gone to Dumbledore to rant and rave about how he had failed, and in his mindless sorrow, he had agreed to take an oath to protect the boy. Severus knew Dumbledore thought he would say no, who would want to protect the son of the man that had tormented him for years, and yet he hadn’t hesitated a second. He had made the oath, with his own wording, to protect Lily’s son to the best of his ability. 

The oath had been enough to keep Dumbledore on his side and to help him stay out of Azkaban, but to Severus it hadn’t been enough. 

Initially Severus had thought that Dumbledore would place the boy in his care, since Severus had made the oath, and yet when he inquired on the child’s guardianship Dumbledore had been silent. He had refused to tell Severus where he had placed Harry. 

It was then that Severus had started to suspect that perhaps Dumbledore was keeping something from him. It couldn’t have been the prophecy, seeing as how Severus already knew about it, so it had to be about something that had happened after the Dark Lord had fallen. 

Severus hadn’t been placed into Slytherin for no reason, and he had grown to be very paranoid during his service to the Dark Lord. His suspicions only grew every time Dumbledore would mention how well ‘Jame’s son’ was doing and how much Harry was taking after James. The only time Dumbledore ever brought up or mentioned Lily was when he was trying to guilt Severus into doing something.

If Severus had been anyone else, he might have fallen for the subtle manipulation. What Dumbledore didn’t know was that Severus had gotten over his hatred of James Potter. He had seen how well Potter treated Lily, how much the man had loved the woman and how he had only ever been kind to her after they had finished Hogwarts, and seeing the man like that had softened Severus’ resentment. 

All Severus had ever wanted was Lily’s happiness, and if that meant giving her up and seeing her with James, then so be it. 

And yet Dumbledore did not know that fact. He assumed, as did everyone, that Severus would always hold a grudge against James Potter, and that he would transfer that hatred to the man’s son. 

So Severus played the part. He pretended to fall for Dumbledore’s manipulation and would always sneer and snarl whenever James or his son were brought up. When Dumbledore used Lily to make Severus feel guilty, he would bow his head and concede the point. It was the role he had to play in order to protect Lily’s son. 

He knew that Dumbledore wanted Severus to hate Harry, so when the boy finally arrived for his first year, Severus had used all of his acting skills to act as though he did. Taking points and assigning detention was easy, he had been doing such things for years, but tormenting the boy, insulting him, degrading him, that was difficult. Everytime Harry looked up at him with that hurt expression, his green eyes sad and hurt, Severus had felt his resolve being tested. 

He had seen how skinny the boy was, how small he was compared to his classmates. The clothes that the boy had worn when not in his school uniform had been several sizes too large and threadbare. Severus was pretty sure the boy’s shoes were only being held together because of the duct tape wrapped around them. 

It didn’t take a genius to see the signs, and yet there was nothing Severus could do. He would make comments now and then to Pomfrey, but each time he did so the woman’s eyes would glaze over a bit and she would tell Severus that she was sure little Harry Potter was fine. 

The mediwitch wasn’t the only one under a compulsion, as that was what Severus had figured it was. McGonagall had also seemed to lose interest and focus on other things whenever Potter’s health and wellbeing were brought up. The only time she ever seemed to break past the compulsion was when she would mumble about ‘the worst sort of muggles’, who Severus assumed were Harry’s guardians. 

Sprout took notice at least, but as she was only acting as the boy’s herbology professor there wasn’t much she could do except voice her concern. Severus knew the woman had asked her prefects to keep an eye on the boy, but even then there wasn’t much they could do either, seeing as how they were in separate houses. 

When Severus had spoken to Flitwick, the half-goblin had been more interested in the boy’s inept essay writing skills. 

Severus was on his own when it came to Harry Potter and the headmaster wasn’t making his job any easier. Year after year the idiotic headmaster came up with more and more ridiculous tests for the Potter boy. It may seem like only Harry’s first year had been planned, but in actuality the headmaster had had his hand in everything. 

Instead of closing the school at the first sign of trouble during Potter’s second year, Dumbledore had kept it open. He could have stopped all the rumors about Potter being the heir of Slytherin, and yet only Snape had done so by sneering and belittling Harry just enough that people would stop falling for the rumors. When Snape had pointed out that he and Sprout collectively knew enough herbologists that grew mandrakes, Dumbledore hadn’t listened and had insisted that they wait for the school’s mandrakes to finish growing. 

Back then it had felt like Dumbledore was just trying to buy time until Potter could fix things, and Severus still believed that. 

As much as it had looked like Dumbledore hadn’t had a hand in the issues with the third year, Severus knew differently. The old man could have easily contacted the ICW about the dementors being stationed around the school, to ask for their help in finding Black, but he hadn’t. The idiotic headmaster had given permission for the Granger girl to use a time turner, of all things, in order to attend any and all classes she wanted instead of either actually changing the curriculum schedule, like all the professors had been asking to be done for years, or telling the girl to limit her choices. 

Not to mention the decision to send Granger and Potter back a few hours to take care of saving both the hippogriff and Black. How could Dumbledore have been so blind and forget that the two children would be in a forest with a WEREWOLF. 

Severus didn’t even want to think about the fourth year. Instead of stepping up as Potter’s magical guardian and pulling him from the tournament, which shouldn’t have even happened seeing as how minors couldn’t consent to magically binding contracts, the man hadn’t even helped his golden boy with any of the trials. 

Again Dumbledore could have gone to the ICW for assistance during Potter’s fifth year, in order to get Umbridge removed. ICW law stated that any international school that received funding from the ICW could not receive interference by the nations government. Hogwarts received a yearly stipend from the ICW to ensure that no citizen of the British Isles had to pay tuition for an education. 

And yet Dumbledore hadn’t even considered contacting the ICW. Severus was pretty sure no one other than himself and the headmaster even knew about the ICW laws, and even then he was pretty sure Dumbledore didn’t know that Severus himself knew. 

Over the past 15 years of working for the man, Severus had been keeping a long and detailed file of all the rules and regulations the headmaster had broken. It was Severus’ plan to use that file either to blackmail Dumbledore or send it to the ICW to get the man removed; whichever way worked to keep Harry Potter safe. 

Now it was the boy’s 6th year and Severus was honestly surprised the boy had lived as long as he had. It had been up to Severus time and time again to save the brat, since Dumbledore always seemed to wait till the last moment, as if waiting to see if Harry would make the right decision. He had saved Harry from the jinxed broom in his first year, he had been the one that protected Harry during his third year, and he had made sure a handful of gillyweed had made its way to Dobby during the boy’s fourth year. Not Dumbledore, him!

It was the Potter’s 6th year and Dumbledore had gone and planned out his manipulations once more. This time though, the manipulations and plans were for the long term. 

Dumbledore was dying. 

It had happened sometime after the end of the last school year. Dumbledore had gone out and done something that he still hadn’t told Severus about, and had returned with a destroyed cursed ring and an equally cursed hand. Severus had been able to slow the progression of the curse, but the man would die in a year or less. 

So Dumbledore had gone and done everything he could to prepare for his death. When Severus had gone to him, to tell him about Draco’s mission, Dumbledore had forced Severus to agree to killing him in Draco’s place when the time came. When Dumbledore had asked Severus to take up the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, he had agreed even if he hated the fact that Dumbledore had chosen Slughorn as the replacement potions professor instead of one of the other masters Severus had suggested. 

Severus had suggested that perhaps it was time to start training Potter in dueling, but Dumbledore had already assured Severus that he would be training the boy personally. No matter what Severus said or did, the old man was adamant that only he could train Harry for what was to come. 

So Severus had backed off, but he would keep an eye on Potter during the coming year and if there was even a hint that Dumbledore was putting Potter into danger, he would go to the ICW. It was time to put a stop to Dumbledore’s manipulations before they got even more dangerous. 

But then the worst happened. After almost an entire summer of Potter being safe and happy with his friends, which baffled Severus seeing as how the boy had just lost his godfather, it came out that the boy he had been observing quietly was not a boy at all, but a golem. The truth of the matter was that Harry Potter had gone missing around the time of his birthday, and Dumbledore had chosen not to tell anyone until a little over a week before the school term started. 

Dumbledore had claimed that the boy had run away from home, that the stress of his godfather’s death had just been too much for him and that he had left his family in the dead of night when the Order members would have trouble watching him. 

The story that the Order was told didn’t sit right with Severus, just as most things involving Dumbledore didn’t sit right with him. Secretly he had gone to the house on Private drive a few days after the meeting and had met with the boy’s family. 

To say what he had learned during that short meeting had shocked and angered Severus immensely was an understatement. Dumbledore had always told him that the boy was loved by his family, that he was spoiled rotten. Severus hadn’t believed Dumbledore, especially after the boy had started going to Hogwarts, but he had hoped that the worse the boy had suffered had been neglect. 

He learned very quickly that the situation had been very different than what he had weakly hoped for. The hideously fat walrus of a man, Potter’s uncle, had yelled that they had never wanted the freak, that they had done everything they could to ‘stamp out the freakishness’ and how they had failed. His mind was stupidly easy to break into when he refused to tell Severus what really had happened the day Potter had vanished. 

That was how he learned that the boy had gone through a creature inheritance after being beaten so severely that Severus had thought that Potter should have died. It wasn’t just any old inheritance either, no that would have made things too easy, instead the boy had turned into a naga. 

It was like Fate just loved making Severus’ life harder and harder. How was he supposed to protect a boy that had become a dark creature that any old Auror would kill on sight? How was he even supposed to find the boy since the fat man had abandoned him? 

After pulling the memory from Dursley, and promptly obliviating both his visit and the boy’s creature inheritance from both muggles, Severus left to try and track down where the man had dumped Potter. He knew the name of the forest, he knew where it was on a map, but what he didn’t know was if the boy had stayed there or not. 

As soon as he was hidden from muggle eyes, Severus aparated away from the muggle neighborhood and right to the spot where Dursley had dumped the scared 16 year old boy. 

At first Severus didn’t see anything of value or any real evidence that anyone had been around. There were some tire tracks from a van, but they were faded and covered up in some places by puddles of rainwater. After a few minutes of looking, it didn’t take him long to find a school trunk hidden behind a tree and covered with old branches that were covered in withered leaves. Severus knew it was Potter’s thanks to the initials carved into the brass plate on the lid. 

The trunk was mostly empty, with only a couple ratty clothes, candy wrappers, and molding parchment. Anything of value to the boy had been taken and moved to wherever he’d been staying. Potter had even taken his old school books even though most of them were probably useless to him now. 

A simple ‘point me’ spell was all Severus had needed to find the little cave deeper in the forest. He hadn’t focused the spell on Potter, no, he had focused it on the potions textbook that he knew the boy would have. 

When he found the cave, he had been hoping to find Potter there, but instead he found signs of a struggle. There was a blast mark on the outer rock wall of the cave, the rocks of the fire pit had been scattered and the charcoal spread out around the campsite, when he went into the cave it looked like someone had ransacked the place. Books were strewn around, clothes ripped and thrown in the middle of the cave floor, what looked like a pile of fur had been burned in the corner of the cave. 

These had been Potter’s things, Severus was sure of it, and whoever had found him had ripped through everything. He hoped that seeing all the discarded and scattered possessions meant that Potter had gotten away from whoever had found him. 

Seeing as how Severus hadn’t been summoned, he doubted it had been the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters that had found the boy. It was possible that the Order had found Potter, but then why hadn’t Severus been told? Why hadn’t he been informed that the Order had gotten a lead on Potter and had gone out to find him? 

The fact that he hadn’t been told was troubling for Severus, especially since there were blast marks around the little campsite. Then again it was possible they hadn’t known about Potter’s inheritance so when they saw a naga instead of the boy, they might have attacked on reflex. 

With no other leads and no way of knowing where Potter had gone, Severus had returned to the castle. He had to go about his days as normally as possible so that Dumbledore wouldn’t suspect that there was something wrong. The man was keeping things from Severus for a reason, and if Severus approached him now, there was no way he would ever learn what it was Dumbledore was hiding. 

So Severus had gone to his new classroom, had organized the defense books that were stacked along one wall next to his desk, and then had gone to make sure his new office was ready. 

As he took his lunch in his new office, Severus’ mind went back to the plans Dumbledore had made. It disgusted him, the way the old man was trying so hard to convince the world that everything was normal.

The plan was simple in its design, and yet bordered on dark magic. Dumbledore would bring the golem to Hogwarts so that no one would know that Potter was missing. He had even convinced several of the Order members to accept small leeches on their magic so that the golem would be able to perform simple magic for its classes. Those leeches were only considered ‘light’ because they had been willingly accepted. 

The golem would continue to act as Potter, as it had apparently been doing all summer, and would continue to make the world believe that Potter was the perfect little light savior. Even after the real Potter was found, Severus knew Dumbledore would continue to use the golem. He wasn’t an idiot like the rest of the Order, he knew what would happen to Potter if he should be found by Dumbledore. 

Golem’s needed a great deal of magic to stay stable, especially if they were going to be using magic for spells and such. If the real Potter was awake and using his own magic himself, then the golem would have less to use to function correctly. Severus knew that Dumbledore would put Potter into a magically induced coma to make sure the golem stayed strong. 

It was a horrid plan, one that would end up killing the boy if the golem was allowed to draw from his magic for more than a few months. When Severus had brought up his concerns, Dumbledore had assured him that he had taken everything that could go wrong into account and had taken all necessary precautions. 

But Severus knew, he just knew that Dumbledore had no idea about what he was doing. Golem work was borderline dark and there was a reason why golems weren’t given magic. He wouldn’t be surprised if after a month all the people with leeches started suffering from magical exhaustion. Only living creatures could replenish magic, and only when resting and eating. With the golem constantly drawing magic through the leeches, the people with the leeches would never get a moment to rest to replenish their magical stores. 

Eventually permanent damage would be done to the magical cores of the people with the leeches. Dumbledore must have known something about the risks, since he hadn’t asked anyone under age to accept a leech. 

It was a stupid plan, a desperate plan, and Severus wanted no part in it. He would find Potter before the Order and get the boy out of Britain. He had no idea where he would take the boy, but he had heard rumors of naga tribes in Asia. They were incredibly hard to find and well protected, but if Severus took Potter to the continent, then perhaps news of the boy’s inheritance would make it back to a tribe and they would come to find him. 

It was the best Severus could come up with on such short notice. With both Voldemort and Dumbledore after Potter, he could think of no other way to protect the boy. 

Voldemort might actually take a moment to reconsider his actions if he knew Potter was a naga, but Dumbledore would do everything in his power to seal away the boy’s creature blood. The old man could never allow his little weapon to be dark in any sort of way. 

So during the next week, Severus did everything he could to flesh out his escape plan. He still had no idea where Potter was or if anyone had any leads on his location, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before someone noticed a naga wandering around. He had an untraceable portkey made that would take him and Potter to the French coast, he had packed a trunk full of anything he thought they would need while on the run and then had shrunk it down to keep on his person at all times, and he had forged travel documents made just in case he and the boy were stopped at a border. 

The moment Severus caught wind of Potter being spotted, he would go straight to the boy and whisk him away. He would get them both to the continent and then would make sure that neither Dumbledore or Voldemort would ever get their hands on him. 

He had sworn to Lily that he would keep her son safe, he had sworn on his life, and so far he had barely been managing to do so. Ignorance was not an excuse and he could no longer sit back and try to act as if he didn’t care. 

Because he did care, a great deal, about Harry Potter and Severus just couldn’t act like he hated the boy any longer. Especially since the boy’s very existence was now at risk by both sides of the war. 

It was the day that the students were to arrive when Severus’ worst fears prickled like needles across his skin. Sometime after lunch had finished, his mark burned harshly against his arm. Thankfully he had been alone in his office when it had happened so he allowed himself to hiss and grab his arm to try and stop the pain. 

Voldemort was summoning him, on a day that normally Severus was left alone, which did not bode well for the potions master. The Dark Lord knew Severus was preparing for the term to start, knew that Dumbledore would be watching for any sign of danger as the wards had to be weakened to allow the new first year students into the school, so for the man to summon Severus now of all times meant that something big had happened. 

Dumbledore still hadn’t told anyone anything about Potter, or at least he was keeping any and all information from Severus. But the frustration that was felt amongst the Order members told Severus that the boy had still not been found. 

He just hoped that the Dark Lord hadn’t found out that Potter was missing and was now calling him in to learn the truth. Up until now Voldemort had thought Potter was hidden somewhere with the Order, and that’s what Severus had been reporting up until he found out that Potter had gone missing. Thankfully Severus hadn’t been summoned since finding out, but that fact wouldn’t save him if Voldemort had found out the truth. 

Hopefully this was just a last minute summons to give him a mission or to order more potions from him. 

“Albus.” Severus had made good time hurrying from his office to that of the headmasters. The guardian gargoyle had jumped out of his way, not yet having been given a password for the new school term. The old man was seated behind his desk, piles of paperwork spread out in front of him and an exhaustedly weary look in his blue eyes. “The Dark Lord has summoned me.”

The headmaster frowned deeply at Severus. “That is odd. He doesn’t normally summon you when you are needed here.” 

Severus scowled at the headmaster, but he could not argue over the fact. “It does not matter. He has summoned me and I must go. I do not know if I will return in time for the feast.” He didn’t wait for the headmaster to reply, Severus simply spun around and stormed over to the large fireplace situated to the side of Dumbledore’s office. His was the only working floo during the summer, a way to protect the school when it was so understaffed, and that meant it was the only quick way for Severus to come and go when he was being summoned. 

Unfortunately for Severus, he couldn’t floo directly to Malfoy Manor as it was under heavy wards. He would have to apparate to the edge of the manor’s grounds and walk the rest of the way. But with the wards around Hogwarts he couldn’t apparate on school grounds, which left flooing to a non warded location first and then apparating. 

Severus went straight to his own home, where Pettigrew was supposed to be hiding. He didn’t have time to stop and make sure Pettigrew hadn’t done anything to his home, not trusting the man to be respectful to Severus’ belongings. Anything of value had been packed and taken to his quarters at Hogwarts, but there were still things around that Pettigrew could easily destroy. 

As much as he wanted to ensure the man was behaving, he just didn’t have time. The mark on his arm was aching and Severus could swear he could feel his master’s irritation radiating from the magic in the mark. 

With a well practiced twist of his feet, Severus vanished from his home only to reappear just beyond the gated grounds of Malfoy Manor. He sneered at the expensive architecture and at the lavish gardens that were carefully cultivated between the gate and the manor. It was all so excessive to Severus and he hated being surrounded by such obvious wealth. 

Before he stepped through those high warded gates, Severus steeled himself. He went into his mind and reinforced his occlumency shields around the thoughts and memories that would reveal him to be a traitor to the Dark Lord and left all others out for the legilimency master to find. He worked quickly and methodically as he strode down the front path, his long legs moving him rapidly from the gate to the front door of the manor. 

By the time he made it to the door, it was already open and Malfoy was standing there waiting for him. 

Idly, Severus noticed that Malfoy had a bit more color to him since the last time he had seen him a couple weeks before. The man was still gaunt, with dark circles and worry wrinkles around his eyes, but he was less tense than he had been. It was as if some great weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he was finally able to relax a little. 

Severus had no idea how Lucius could even think of relaxing when he was playing host to the Dark Lord and quite a few Death Eaters. Severus only had to deal with Pettigrew and just the one idiotic presence in his home had him wanting to rip out his hair. 

“Our Lord is waiting for you in his study.” Lucius was saying as he led the way down the hall and up the stairs. It was not long before the two of them were standing outside the Dark Lord’s study. Before Severus could reach out to knock, Lucius grabbed his wrist. 

“Severus...There are things happening that you don’t know about and that I can’t tell you.” Lucius quickly warned the man. “You must trust me in this when I tell you that everything is for the best! Do not lie to our Lord today.” 

This wasn’t the first time Lucius had given such a warning to Severus, but this was the first time that the potions master hesitated. The Malfoy Lord seemed almost desperate to get Severus to listen to him and his words. 

“I would never lie to our Lord and for you to even suggest such a thing is unthinkable.” Severus said those words with a snarl, pulling his wrist free from Lucius’ grasp. “Do you think me a traitor Lucius?”

For a long moment Lucius Malfoy just stared at Severus, his silver eyes masked with a bland expression. He just watched Severus for several long minutes before he sighed and shook his head, his shoulders sinking a little in defeat. “We are friends Severus, I named you the godfather of my son when he was born, I do not want to ever see you hurt or killed.” 

Shock filled Severus and for a moment he felt his occlumency shields slip a tiny fraction. Lucius Malfoy, the man known for being cold, aloof, poised, and always perfectly composed, had never looked so tired before in front of Severus. The man had changed during his short time in Azkaban, and Severus wasn’t quite sure if it had been for the best. 

Lucius made to say something more, his lips parting for a brief moment before closing with a shake of his head. He had given Severus his warning, and at that moment that was all he could do. The Malfoy Lord just prayed that Severus would be smart enough to give their Lord what he wanted. 

With that last thought in mind, Lucius lifted his hand and knocked three times on the study door. Time held still for several long seconds as the two men held their breaths. 

“Enter.” 

The one word was like a death toll, reverberating through the air and making Severus shiver. He felt like prey standing there as Lucius opened the door, prey about to be captured and eaten by the predator that had been slowly stalking him for years. 

Severus swallowed thickly as he took one step and then another into the darkly lit room where his master was waiting. He knew at that moment he would not be leaving Malfoy Manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 27 will be posted Monday the 26th of October
> 
> Next time: Snape and Voldemort have a very VERY interesting conversation and Snape fears greatly for his life.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voldemort has fun mentally torturing Snape by not acting like the insane Dark Lord that he normally acts like. Snape is at a loss as to what to do and decides to tell as much of the truth as he can in order to protect his secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a couple hours late. I got caught up in chores and making dinner.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 27

The Dark Lord’s study was dim with the only light coming from the crackling fire in the fireplace and the one lamp sitting on the desk. From the light came flickering shadows that stretched across the walls and ceiling, like the arms of beasts reaching out to Severus to grab and drag him to his doom. 

At least that’s what it felt like to the potions master as he entered the silent room. He almost startled and jumped when the door behind him was shut with a soft thud. 

Voldemort was sitting at his desk, opposite the door to the study, several folders stacked to either side of him and one open folder laying before him. Even as Severus moved to stand in the center of the room, Voldemort had yet to look up from his work. All that could be heard in the room was the scratching of the man’s quill on parchment for several agonizing minutes. 

Severus’ breathing sounded like wind storms in his ears, thundering with each intake and screeching on the out. 

“That will be all Luciussssss.” 

Movement rustled cloth behind Severus and he had to force himself to stay facing forward towards his Lord. Lucius on the other hand must have bowed and left without a second to waste. The door behind Severus opened and shut just as quickly. 

Taking a deep breath to steele himself, Severus strode into the center of the room and then dropped to one knee, his head bent and his eyes focused on the floor. “My Lord.” It was a fight to keep his voice even and untroubled, but Severus was able to keep himself as calm as he always pretended to be when around the madman in front of him. 

The Dark Lord said nothing and the sound of the quill scratching continued. Each minute that passed was agony for Severus, who had no idea what was going on or if the Dark Lord was even angry or not. This sort of behavior, ignoring Severus for so long after his arrival without so much of a hiss, was new and completely out of character for the Dark Lord. 

And yet Severus refused to lift his head or move from the uncomfortable kneeling position he was in. If he could get out of this with his body intact, that would be preferable. 

Ten long minutes passed before finally the scratching of that damned quill stopped and Voldemort finally spoke.    
  
“Rissse Severusss. We have much to discussss.” 

It was a relief for Severus to stand from the kneeling position he had been in, but all the same he could feel his knees creaking from the movement. 

“What does my Lord wish of me?” Severus asked, his eyes still carefully averted from those ruby red eyes that stood out from the man’s almost unnaturally pale skin. 

For the past ten minutes Voldemort had been contemplating the man kneeling before him. Severus was a one of a kind man, able to take extreme amounts of pain and still not break. Voldemort had seen the fighting spirit in the potions master and knew that outright accusing the man of being a traitor and demanding answers would not work. Torturing the man for answers would also fail in the end. 

No, if Voldemort wanted the truth he would have to use the subtlety and cunning of a true Slytherin to do so. 

“A few days ago I decided to change young Draco’s mission.” Voldemort told Severus as he closed the folder he had been writing in with a snap. He placed it to his right and grabbed a new folder from his left. “After a great deal of thought, I decided that Draco would make a much better spy than as an assassin. He takes after his father after all and his mind is much better suited for the subtle strategies of a spy.” 

Severus blinked and he forcefully kept his mouth closed to hide his shock. When Narcissa had come to him early in the summer, begging for his help to protect Draco, he had never imagined that the Dark Lord would show mercy on the Malfoy family like this. He had been fully and completely prepared to do everything in his power to help Draco, all while protecting Potter. Now though it seemed like Voldemort had actually started thinking through with his plans. 

“As such, you will now be training Draco on what it takes to be a spy in my service. When he graduates, you will take him on as an apprentice. In time, it is my plan that Draco will replace you as my spy within Hogwarts.” 

As the Dark Lord spoke, his eyes never left his desk, reading through yet another report. He really was behind after spending nearly a week getting things under control around the manor so that Harry would be safe. 

“It will be an honor to teach Draco so that he may serve you better.” Severus was barely able to say those words without choking. 

This? This was the reason he had been summoned? Sure Severus would have needed this information, eventually, but Voldemort could have sent Lucius on a visit to speak with Severus about the situation, or he could have waited a short while before sending for Severus so as not to garner any sort of attention. Hell, he could have just let Draco give him the news after the boy had arrived at Hogwarts.

Something about what Voldemort had said nagged at Severus though. The Dark Lord wanted Draco to eventually replace him, which meant that Severus would either be removed from Hogwarts for another mission, or he would be dead in the near future. 

Then again apprenticeships took at minimum five years to complete for the average person. Knowing Dumbledore, the man wouldn’t want to hire Draco unless the boy had more than five years worth of experience as well as Severus’ approval so that meant Draco would need to last through the apprenticeship for at least 8 to 10 years, and even then he would probably need to master more than one subject. 

This was a long term mission, one meant to give Severus time to improve his position with his Lord as well as give Draco the chance to solidify his own position. Severus was left wondering why the Dark Lord would give them this mission when last they spoke he was bound and determined to punish Lucius for his mistakes. 

Such long term strategizing was something that the old Dark Lord would have done, back when Severus had first joined the ranks of the Death Eaters. It hadn’t been long after that day that the Dark Lord had devolved into the insane, bloodthirsty, monster that tortured and killed anyone that stood against him. 

What had changed in the last couple weeks since Severus had seen the man?

“And the mission to bring Death Eaters into the school, my Lord?” Severus asked, hoping for a little more time to try and figure out what was going on, to try and get some clarity on the situation. 

Silence filled the void between the two men, once Severus could have sworn his breathing sounded like the loudest thing in the room. 

“Do you question me, Severussss?” Voldemort hissed coldly, his eyes finally lifting from his report to stare unblinkingly at the black clad man across from him. “Do you believe my decision to change young Draco’s mission to be faulty?”

“Of course not my Lord! I would never question you.” Severus hurriedly replied. “I just wished for some clarification on what was to be done during the year.” 

Snape really was a slippery one and Voldemort was actually enjoying making the man confused and all out of sorts. It was rather refreshing to see such a usually composed man unsure of what to say or do. 

Voldemort had forgotten just how much fun it was to mentally torture people. 

“The mission to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts is on hold, for now.” Voldemort sighed softly and flicked his fingers as if shooing away an annoying fly. “I want you to focus on Draco’s training.”

The fact that the Dark Lord had actually answered Severus’ question had him swallowing hard. Was this really Voldemort or was this some sort of test of loyalty to see if Severus would be able to recognize a fake?

“Now then,” Voldemort decided to stop with the facade of trying to go through reports and pushed away the one he had been pretending to read. “With the new school term starting, I wish to hear of news about Dumbledore.” He smirked knowingly, his eyes glinting darkly “How has his health been? I hear in old age certain joints become too stiff and whole limbs can become so...brittle.” 

Severus swallowed hard. The Dark Lord knew about Dumbledore’s mistake with the ring! He had to know! It couldn’t be mere coincidence for the Dark Lord to make comments like that. 

“My Lord, it seems that Dumbledore stumbled across a cursed ring sometime during the summer.” Severus was quick to give his answer and tried to keep his voice as steady and smooth as he could. “He called on me to contain the curse, and then swore me to secrecy on the results of the diagnosis.” That much was true at least and even if Severus had wanted to tell his Lord about how the old man was dying, he couldn’t. The secrecy oath would not allow Severus to say anything more. 

“Tell me Sssseverussss did you see the ring that cursed him?” Voldemort was grinning darkly and in the shadowed room his teeth looked sharper than they should be. The insanity and cruelty that Severus was so used to seeing was back in that moment. 

“I did my Lord. It was a gold band with a black stone.” He hadn’t been able to get a closer look at it, especially at the strange engraving on the stone, seeing as how Dumbledore had moved it out of his sight as soon as Severus had finished containing the curse in his arm. 

The sharp maniacal laughter that filled the study had Severus flinching. Had he been a lesser man, he would have stumbled back a step. 

“ _ Did you hear that, my sweet? The old fool fell for the trap!”  _

It was then that Severus realized that the Dark Lord’s familiar was in the room with them. With how the shadows had been flickering around the room, he had completely missed the dark scaled snake hidden around the furniture. 

“By any chance, did the ring look like,” Voldemort paused before flourishing his right hand up. The spell he had been using to hide the ring vanished and on his hand was the very ring he had copied and cursed “this?”

The exact ring that Severus had seen on Dumbledore’s cursed, withered, blackened hand was sitting quite comfortably on the Dark Lord’s finger. 

Whatever the reason was that Dumbledore had gone after the ring, Voldemort had already known and had planted a cursed fake. 

“It did, my Lord, before Dumbledore destroyed it with the sword of Gryffindor.” At least the secrecy oath hadn’t covered the destruction of the cursed ring. 

Again Voldemort loudly laughed, but this time it was deeper and was less of an insane high pitched cackle. 

“More a fool for what he has done.” 

When he had first been resurrected, Voldemort had been convinced that no one had known about his horcruxes, that his secret to immortality was safe, but after he learned of what Lucius had done to his precious diary, how Potter had destroyed it with the basilisk fang, he had become concerned. 

He knew eventually Dumbledore would start connecting the dots, that the old man wasn’t nearly as idiotic and ignorant of the dark arts as he pretended to be. He had after all been a professor back when the Theory of Magic class had been a required course. Dumbledore would know at least the theory behind soul magic and that there were ways to use such magic to prolong one's life. 

Not willing to take any chances, Voldemort had gone to each and every one of his horcrux locations to check on his prized soul containers. 

When he had realized that his locket was gone, replaced by a fake with a letter from Regulus Black, Voldemort knew that his other horcruxes were at risk. So he had gathered up the ones he had left and replaced them with exact replicas that would give off the exact feeling of a horcrux. 

Voldemort chuckled as he thought about how the Order fools had all fallen for the Department of Mysteries trap and how Dumbledore had left the school unprotected just long enough for his house elf to go in, grab the diadem, replace it, and return. 

The mission to get the prophecy had failed, but at least he had been able to save his soul container.

Only the locket was missing now, but at least he could sense that it was still in one piece. Having the majority of his horcruxes around him seemed to give Voldemort a stronger sense of himself and his magic. 

“Is there a reason you did not report this to me sooner?” Voldemort asked once he had stopped feeling so joyful over the discovery that Dumbledore really had fallen for the very obvious trap. 

Instantly Severus was on his knee again, his head hanging in shame. “Dumbledore had ordered me to stay silent unless absolutely necessary. I fear that he does not trust me as he once did, he is not telling me things that I would consider vital right away like he once did.” 

“Oh?” Voldemort sneered dangerously as he stared at the prostrate man. “And what sorts of things is he keeping from you?” He could taste the hesitancy in the air around Snape, as if the man were fighting with his own thoughts. Voldemort gave him a few minutes to organize what he would say; after all, this was a test to see just how loyal Snape really was to him. 

If Severus didn’t tell Voldemort about the things he already knew, then Voldemort would know that Severus Snape was truly lost to him. 

“Things...things about Potter, my Lord.” Severus’ voice cracked then and he momentarily lost his calm facade. 

Severus was thinking hard and fast. He knew that at any moment his Lord could lose his patience and simply break into his mind, ravishing it to the point of insanity, so he had to come up with something! He couldn’t tell the crazed monster that Potter was missing, not if he could help it, but he also couldn’t lie to the Dark Lord. 

It was completely obvious to Severus that Lord Voldemort knew things that Severus didn’t, that he was aware of information that should have been unknown to the man. If Severus said the wrong thing, tried to lie to the man, then he would be worse than dead. He knew he would end up begging for death in the end, but the people that betrayed the Dark Lord were never given the gift of death. At least, not right away.

So Severus would have to tell Voldemort as much as he could without actually revealing anything that would threaten the boy’s life or reveal himself as a traitor. 

“I am ashamed to admit this, my Lord, but Dumbledore told me things about the boy’s home life that I believed.” Best to reveal the truth that Severus himself had only learned this summer while searching for Potter. “For years Dumbledore had told everyone that the boy was well loved, cared for, and even spoiled. I had believed him. This summer though, after the boy’s birthday I noticed that Potter was behaving strangely.”

Which really was the truth. He had noticed that Potter was being strangely compliant with orders given to him by his friends and the Order. At the time he hadn’t realized that the Potter he had been watching had been a golem, but he had said nothing because no one else had noticed any strange behavior. 

“I was able to get the location of where the boy lived outside of school from one of the Order members.” Which was also true seeing as how he was an Order member. “I met the boy’s relatives and...and learned the truth of Potter’s home life.” 

Voldemort’s lips thinned with each and every word that Snape spoke. The man was either truly loyal, and had already been planning to give him this information, or he realized Voldemort was testing him and that the Dark Lord knew a great deal more than anyone suspected. 

“His disgusting muggle relatives,” There was real hatred and disgust in his voice as Severus spoke of the Dursleys “abused the boy and treated him like a slave. They tried to beat the magic out of him.” Memories of how Severus’ own father would attack and beat him during a drunken rage came to mind and he made sure to keep those memories at the surface should Voldemort try to break past his occlumency shields. 

Thanks to the medical exam, Voldemort already knew about the abuse Harry had suffered, but that did not stop him from growling and hissing angrily. “ _ The boy should have never been handed over to muggles.” _ Even if he had still hated Harry, he would have still believed that no magical child should be in the hands of muggles. 

“Dumbledore had also told us that he had multiple wards besides the blood wards protecting the boy’s home. While I was there, I sensed no wards to speak of. Not even a simple repelling charm for dark wizards.” 

Voldemort really shouldn’t have been surprised at the level of deception and manipulation that Dumbledore had gone through in order to control Harry. By telling everyone that Harry had a happy home and that he was protected by many wards, no one would think to check up on the boy. 

It was ingenious in its simplicity and Voldemort hated that it had been done to Harry. He fumed silently for several minutes over Harry’s mistreatment and Dumledore’s manipulations. If only he hadn’t succumbed to insanity he might have recognized the signs sooner. He might have realized that the prophecy was ridiculous and could literally mean anything. 

He angrily hissed and swore in parseltongue for so long that he forgot that Severus was still kneeling in the middle of his study. When he was finally able to calm down enough to focus again, he found that there was a very slight shake to Snape’s shoulders. 

“Is there anything else Severus? Anything that you may have left out?” Voldemort was growing tired with this cat and mouse game. It had been fun at first, seeing Snape lose his composure and realize that he wouldn’t be able to pull off his usual schemes to get around Voldemort’s insanity. But now that he knew Snape was aware of the trap, that the man was telling him things to try and protect himself, Voldemort felt so done. 

It was time to put an end to this charade and find out if Snape really was the traitorous rat or if he was just the unlucky bastard set up to take the blame. 

Severus knew that this was it. This was the moment that Severus would either tell the whole truth and live another day or try to predict exactly what the Dark Lord did and did not know only to fail and be tortured until he was too far gone to know the difference between life and death.    
  
If he was revealed to be the spy in Voldemort’s inner circle, then there would be no one to protect Harry Potter from either side. There was a chance, slim as it was, that if Severus told Voldemort everything then he would be allowed to live. He needed to live long enough to ensure that Potter made it to safety. 

Severus slumped in defeat and he braced both hands against the ground. He really didn’t have a choice in this matter. If this had been the insane Dark Lord in front of him, Severus might have been able to hide the truth behind misdirection, but this man was too calm and controlled, he was playing Severus for a fool and had been doing so since he had first walked into the study. 

The choice had been made for him the second Dumbledore had been stupid enough to not tell him that the Order had found a lead on Potter’s whereabouts. 

“Potter is missing.” Severus’ voice was so soft he was practically whispering. “He’s been missing since his birthday.” When he wasn’t immediately hit with a cruciatus curse, Severus continued. “His relatives abandoned him and kept that knowledge a secret until about a week ago or so.” 

Hearing Severus tell the truth for once had Voldemort stopping to consider his next steps. He had actually been expecting his spy to withhold the truth for as long as possible, and yet the man had broken rather quickly. Then again...maybe this was less of a breakdown and more of an acceptance of circumstances? It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe that this was Snape’s attempt at self-preservation. 

“ _ Nagini, my sweet.” _ Voldemort glanced to the side of his study where Nagini was watching Severus from the shadows. “ _ Would you go and see if Harry is willing to come to my study?” _ Having Severus see Harry, as the naga he now was, would be the final test of Snape’s loyalty to Voldemort.

He turned back to Snape and glared at him even as Nagini slithered past the man, rubbing against the back of his legs which had Snape tensing up. 

“What has Dumbledore planned in order to find Potter?” 

Severus shivered at the cold tone in his master’s voice. “I do not know, my Lord. He hasn’t informed me at all about his search for Potter.” He could feel Voldemort’s ire in the very air as he admitted to his lack of knowledge. 

It wasn’t his fault that Dumbledore had stopped sharing his plans with Severus! If he hadn’t gone to try and find Potter for himself, he probably wouldn’t have learned about how the boy had already been found once. 

Severus firmly believed that if Voldemort had been the one to have located Potter, he would have sent out all of his available Death Eaters to get the boy, but he had only found evidence of a few people in the forest around Potter’s camp. 

“But! I do know of his plans for the coming school year!” Severus quickly spoke up to try and keep Voldemort from lashing out. He needed to give the Dark Lord something, otherwise Severus would find himself at the mercy of a legilimency session. 

It was quiet in the room around Severus and he could practically feel the Dark Lord glaring down at him. There was a prickling sensation along the back of Severus’ neck and he could feel beads of sweat on his brow. 

Things were not going well. The slim hope he had been holding onto that he would get out of this meeting alive was crumbling. Severus was trying to distract the Dark Lord from his question about Potter’s whereabouts, but he had no idea how long the diversion would last. 

“Well, Severusss? What does the old fool have planned?” 

If he could have, Severus would have sighed in relief. His quick thinking had saved him for the moment and maybe he would be able to keep Voldemort from asking about Harry again. 

“He plans on using a golem, my Lord. Dumbledore placed several magic leeches on volunteer Order members in order to give the golem just enough magic to get through its lessons.” 

“And did you volunteer, my loyal potions master?” 

Once more Severus felt his Lord’s foot under his chin and he lifted his head obediently. “Never my Lord. The leech Dumbledore used will eventually cause permanent damage to one's magical core.”

“Ah. I see.” Voldemort moved back and away from Severus then, going back to his seat behind his desk. “He used _ that  _ leech then. Not that I am surprised seeing as how it is one of the only ‘light’ spells of such nature.” The man sounded gleeful at Dumbledore’s stupidity, but Severus could not find it in himself to feel badly about the idiotic Order members that blindly followed the old headmaster. 

The leech spell in question was one that had to be accepted willingly, as in the intended target had to give their consent to have their magic being sucked right out of them. That consent wasn’t just for the leech, but for all of the side effects that came with the leech as well.

Once more it grew quiet in the Dark Lord’s study and Severus felt like he was waiting on a knife’s edge for something to happen. Usually by this time he would have been tortured a few times, and yet he was still whole and unbroken, even if he was confused and feeling a bit panicked. 

“Which of the order members have the leeches?” 

Slowly, Severus released the breath he had been holding. “Dedalus Diggle, Mundungus Fletcher, Hestia Jones, and Elphias Doge.” At least those were the four that Severus knew about. It was possible that Dumbledore had asked others, but he didn’t know. 

“No one of any real consequence then.” Severus heard his Lord mumble and then the scratching of a quill again. “Shame.” 

At least Dumbledore hadn’t been a complete idiot and had asked the members that wouldn’t actually know what the leech would do or actually needed their magic for work. The four that Dumbledore had chosen were the four that Dumbledore had the strongest control over. 

“Even with the leeches, surely someone will notice that there is something...off about Potter.” 

Severus nodded quickly. “He’s planning on telling everyone that Potter is receiving special training from him and that any personality changes are due to stress from the previous year.” Not that anyone would try to dispute Dumbledore’s words. The boy had suffered quite a bit in the last few years and honestly Severus was surprised that Potter hadn’t had a breakdown in the past. 

“And if they find the boy? What then? I’m sure Dumbledore doesn’t plan on having two Potters running around.” Voldemort sneered and rolled his eyes. “And do stand back up Severus.” 

Slowly, Severus returned to his feet, but he kept his head tilted down so that he still looked to be showing the Dark Lord respect. 

“Dumbledore decided to keep the golem of Potter at Hogwarts and that the real boy will remain at the Order’s headquarters for protection. I-” Severus’ lips felt dry and chapped and he quickly rubbed his tongue across them. “I believe he has planned to place the boy into a magical coma to conserve as much magic as he can.” 

“Yessss, the old fool would do something like that.” Voldemort sneered hatefully. He had seen both of the owl’s memories and he knew exactly what Dumbledore had planned for his little submissive. 

The real question was, what was Dumbledore planning to do with both Harry and the golem in the future after he was dead? The golem couldn’t last forever, no matter how much magic one fed into it, and it had nothing to do with the prophecy. Voldemort leaned back in his seat as he thought things through. 

Eventually Harry Potter would have to return and replace the golem, but that would mean the boy would be missing a year of schooling and knowledge. If Dumbledore put the leech on the boy, then Harry’s magic would be severely damaged, no matter how deeply he slept. 

As much of a fool as Dumbledore was, even he should know that using the golem was not a long term plan. 

If Voldemort were in Dumbledore’s place, he would be trying to find some sort of ritual to use in order to bind Harry Potter to a single goal or mission. Such a binding would make it so that Harry would only ever think about what he needed to do and would become obsessed with it. The boy would literally go mad if he tried to fight such a binding. 

But such a ritual would be the darkest of magic as it would require at least blood and mind magic, if not soul magic as well. It would take away all of Harry’s freewill instead of a small bit by use of compulsions. 

Perhaps Dumbledore was trying to come up with a light ritual that would work similar to the dark ritual? But that would go against the man’s ethics and beliefs of freewill. Unless Dumbledore thought he could make the ritual temporary? Make it last just long enough so that Harry would fulfill whatever fate Dumbledore planned for him and then let the binding break? 

It was impossible to create a ritual such as that. Rituals were meant to be permanent, that’s why they required so much power and sacrifice to work. Even compulsions tended to be difficult to break unless removed shortly after being applied. What had happened to Harry, with the compulsions affecting his very personality, was just proof that no matter what happened there would always be long lasting side effects. 

Voldemort turned his eyes from the fire he had been staring at in thought to look at Snape once more. The man had been more than willing to share what information he had, proving that he was still loyal to the Dark faction. The potions master had shared all the information that Voldemort knew he knew and he had willingly told the truth to his Lord and Master when asked. At least, as far as Voldemort knew.

There was still a strong possibility that Severus Snape was a spy for Dumbledore and that he was holding back valuable information. 

Voldemort had one last test to give Severus, and he knew that if the man did not react correctly then he no longer supported the Dark faction. 

Thankfully, Voldemort could sense that the one person that could help him with the final test was waiting just outside his study door. When there was a hesitant knock at the door, Voldemort flicked his hand up and the door slowly creaked open. 

“Ah, Hassis, thank you for joining us.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the cliffhanger! ;D
> 
> Next time: Snape changes tactics once he recognizes Harry and Harry goes ballistic when he learns a few hard truths. Also, there might be a chance that Voldemort ends up cuddling Harry on the couch. 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 2nd of November. Reminder that I live in the West Coast of the US. So I follow Pacific time.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is interrupted from reading the naga book by Nagini, who tells him that Voldemort wants to talk to him. When he shows up at Voldemort's study, it is to find an old professor there that Harry had never expected to see again. Needless to say, Harry is not a happy snake boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D Don't worry, there's no cliffhangar this chapter. I swear.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 28

As Voldemort left Harry’s room, his hand came up to lightly touch against his cheek. He could still feel Voldemort’s lingering touch and it had Harry’s heart racing. He didn’t even need his instincts to tell him that he had felt something between them at that moment. All through lunch Harry had been feeling it, whatever it was. 

Now that he was alone though, Harry felt himself growing confused and flustered. A part of him didn’t want to feel anything towards Voldemort, especially not attraction! He was the Dark Lord, and no matter how different he seemed to have become, he was still hurting people and throwing the magical world into war! The man had still attacked Harry multiple times throughout the years and had only changed his mind when Harry had turned up as a naga. 

What if Harry had never had a creature inheritance? What if he had remained a human with naga ancestry? Harry had to wonder if Voldemort would have still continued trying to kill him if he had never become a naga. 

Should he even give the man a chance seeing as how his change of heart rested completely on the fact that Harry was a naga as well? It seemed like such a shallow and weak reason to have a change of heart about one's nemesis, and yet Voldemort had done so. 

Sure Voldemort had told Harry, under the effects of Veritaserum, that he could one day learn to love him, that he wasn’t as insane as he once had been, and that his agenda wasn’t really about killing muggles and muggleborns. Yes it was true that Harry actually agreed to some of the things that Voldemort wanted to change. But were those reasons enough to make Harry agree to the courtship? 

The man had so far kept his word to Harry. He had done what he could to protect him, he had put Harry’s health and welfare first, and he had even given Harry the truth. If Voldemort had been anyone else in the world, Harry probably wouldn’t have hesitated to say yes. 

Once again Harry wished he could have someone to talk to about his confusing feelings and thoughts. 

For the moment, the best he had was the naga book that Voldemort had given him and Harry knew he really did need to keep reading it. Perhaps if he understood more about himself and the changes he had gone through, the decisions he had to make would become easier. 

If nothing else, reading would take Harry’s mind off how his heart was hammering in his chest and how it felt like he had butterflies in his stomach. 

The rest of the chapter pertaining to courtship behavior wasn’t too terribly helpful. It was nice knowing that his instincts weren’t going to keep trying to make him think that Voldemort was perfect, but Harry had already learned that earlier in the chapter. 

What was helpful for Harry, was the section that was focused on how courtship would affect a dominant. 

_ It is true that the Submissive has control over the courtship, using the time as a way to test the Dominant’s worth, but what the Submissive needs to remember that this is also a time for the Dominant to observe the Submissive they are courting.  _

_ Although a Submissive’s instincts will often settle and calm after a courtship is started, this is not the same for a Dominant. For a Dominant, their instincts continue to be at the forefront of their mind, constantly encouraging the Dominant to be possessive of their Submissive. Many times a Dominant will feel the need to hide their Submissive in order to protect them from any possible dangers.  _

_ Because the Submissive’s instincts calm during the courtship period, the Dominant is able to see how the Submissive will react to the Dominant’s heightened protective and possessive instincts. Some Submissives take this time to push at their Dominant to see just how far they are able to take things, while other Submissives do not really feel the need.  _

_ Some Submissives complain of feeling caged in and trapped by their courting Dominant due to the heightened need to protect the Submissive. It is important during the courtship to see if the Dominant and Submissive can create a balance between their instincts with each other so that the Submissive does not feel trapped and the Dominant does not feel like they must hide the Submissive from the world.  _

_ As stated in the chapter on instincts, a Dominants instincts are often much closer to the surface than those of a Submissive. Because of this it is important for both the Dominant and the Submissive to see how they interact with each other during the courtship when the Dominant’s instincts are at their strongest. _

_ It must be noted that the more compatible a Dominant and Submissive are with each other, the less their instincts act up when the two are close to each other. Being together tends to feel like a natural state for both. Dominants tend to feel less territorial while Submissives tend to have a feeling of safety while around their courting dominant. _

In the week that Harry had been around Voldemort, he had seen quite a bit of the protective and possessive side of the older naga. Other than not wanting the healer to take a look at him, Harry hadn’t really felt trapped or oppressed. If anything, the protectiveness from Voldemort made Harry feel...safe. Feeling safe was such a new thing for Harry that he hadn’t at first realized that’s what he was feeling. 

Voldemort made him feel wanted as well, which Harry had thought he had felt while at Hogwarts and yet now that he was experiencing such feelings around Voldemort, Harry had to wonder if he had ever felt wanted before. 

He hated how every time he learned something new about being a naga, he also learned that the things he had thought were true really weren’t. 

Had he ever had any real friends at Hogwarts, or had they all been like Ron and Hermoine, not really caring about him and more than willing to replace him with a fake? 

Before Harry could fall into a deep dark hole of depression, the door to his rooms creaked open. Harry glanced over and was relieved to see that it was just Nagini coming into his rooms. 

“ _ Hello little one.”  _

Harry couldn’t help the small smirk that came over him. For the past week he had been trying to get Nagini to stop calling him that, but the old snake seemed determined. It didn’t really help that the name his snake mum had given him literally meant ‘little one’. 

“ _ Are you here to visit with Hassaria and Lash?”  _ Harry glanced over at the rug in front of the fireplace where both of his snakes were sleeping. After his exam with Healer Callaway, his mother had decided to curl up and enjoy the warmth of the fire that never seemed to go out. Lash had joined her after a while. 

Nagini shook her head at Harry’s question. “ _ Perhaps later. My Master wishes to know if you are available to meet with him in his study.”  _

Having just seen the man a couple of hours ago for lunch, and knowing that they would be having dinner together, Harry was confused as to why Voldemort would want to see him so soon. 

Not enough time had passed since Voldemort had left for him to have heard back from the naga tribe, right? That’s the only thing Harry could think of for why Voldemort would want to talk to him. 

Perhaps Voldemort had new information about the golem or about the Order? 

“ _ Yeah, I can come.”  _ It wasn’t like Harry had anything else to do at the moment. The Malfoy’s had all left to go take Draco to the train and he had no idea if they were back yet or not. He figured Draco must have said something to his mother to have stopped the woman from pouncing on him the moment she got back. 

Voldemort’s study was down a separate hallway, far enough from the bedrooms to keep people from going into them by accident. But it was also in an area of the manor that Harry hadn’t yet been shown so he had to rely on Nagini to take him. 

“ _ This is it, little one.”  _ Nagini paused in front of a closed door and swiveled her head to look at Harry. “ _ Master has one of his servants with him right now, but he wants you to come in.”  _

Knowing that there was someone inside the room with Voldemort had Harry pausing. He didn’t want to interrupt anything important, but at the same time he was curious. Just who would Voldemort trust enough to have in the same room as Harry? Why would Voldemort even ask for Harry to come unless it was because he wanted Harry to meet with his follower?

Perhaps this follower had some sort of information that would be helpful for Harry? 

With that in mind, Harry took a deep breath and nodded to Nagini. The snake didn’t even hesitate to press her snout against the door, magic sparking lightly at the touch making the door swing open. 

“Ah, Hassis, thank you for joining us. “

Voldemort’s words seemed to go right over Harry’s head as he entered. Instead of hearing the man, Harry’s full attention was on the back of the man standing between them. Having seen that particular back many times during school, Harry was quick to recognize that it was Severus Snape standing there. 

“ _ What is HE doing here?” _ Harry demanded with a hissing snarl. He knew Snape was a spy for the Order and that if Snape figured out who he was, he would go back to Dumbledore with the news. “ _ He can’t be trusted! He’s Dumbledore’s spy!”  _

“ _ I know Harry.”  _ Voldemort cooed gently to try and get the boy calm. The last thing he needed was for Harry to attack Snape before he could determine just how disloyal Snape was to the cause. “ _ I believe we need him to explain himself.”  _

While Voldemort had been speaking to Harry, he had noticed the slight eye widening from Snape and the quick inhale from the man. His silver tongued potions master knew exactly who was behind him. 

Harry sputtered for a moment. “ _ Explain himself? No way! He’ll go straight to Dumbledore and tell him I’m here. They’ll come charging in and drag me back to Headquarters!”  _ He’s heart was pounding in his chest and his instincts were screaming in his head that Snape could not be trusted. The dark eyed man was a danger to him and Harry had to get rid of that danger if his courting dominant wouldn’t. 

Before Harry could lash out at Snape though, his fangs having dropped down and his venom once more dripping down his chin, Voldemort had whipped out his wand and had immobilized him. 

“Tell me Sssseverussss, is there anything else you would like to tell me?” Voldemort asked as he held Harry in place. He hated that he had to do this, but he couldn’t just let Harry attack Snape before he got all of his answers from the man. Voldemort could not risk letting Harry attack Snape right away, especially if the man knew something of vital importance. 

When the door had first opened behind him, Severus had been expecting the arrival to be Bellatrix or the snake returning, what he heard instead had his blood running cold. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who exactly was behind him, not when there were only two parselmouth in all of the British Isles. He supposed it was completely possible that another parselmouth could have arrived during the summer, but Severus had always believed in expecting the worst case scenarios to happen. 

And the worst case in this situation was Harry Potter standing behind him, talking to Voldemort, and possibly living in Malfoy Manor. 

If it really was Potter behind him, Severus also knew that there was zero chance that Voldemort didn’t know who the boy was. Having Potter in the manor meant that the boy was a guest of Voldemort and that the situation that Severus found himself in was radically different than he had originally planned for. 

As impossible as it sounded, Potter was the safest he could be at Voldemort’s side. 

Which left Severus with very few options. If he tried to deny his knowledge of what Harry had become, he knew he would be found out in an instant. By the sounds of it, Potter wasn’t at all happy to see him and possibly wanted his death.

“There is one thing that I have not told you about Potter.” There was only one thing Severus could do; he had to tell his Lord and Master the truth, just as Lucius had warned him to do. “I did not tell you before because...because of ancient magic that binds my magic and life to an oath I took and a life debt that I owe.” 

Severus was on his knees, his head hanging low and his eyes squeezed shut. He waited in silence for something to happen, either to be tortured by his Lord or to be attacked by the teenage naga. When nothing happened, he took a steadying breath and continued. 

“After-” he swallowed hard. “After Lily gave birth and I realized you were going to attack the Potter’s, I went to Dumbledore for help.” There was a constant sound of angry hissing behind him. “He said he would do everything he could to protect the Potter’s, but asked that I become his spy. I agreed.” 

He was hit by a sudden cruciatus that had his nerve endings burning and his muscles feeling like they were being stripped from his bones. Severus didn't even have time to scream before the curse was lifted. 

“Continue.” 

That one word was harsh against Severus’ ears and he didn’t even try to hide his flinch. At least the hissing behind him had stopped. 

“When you vanished and I found out that Lily and her husband were dead...I confronted Dumbledore.” Severus clenched his jaw and angrily ground his teeth together. “He told me that the wards had failed because of a traitor. He accused me of being the traitor and threatened to send me to Azkaban unless...unless I agreed to a magical oath.” 

“ _ An oath? Like a contract?”  _ Harry asked softly once he had calmed down a little. His instincts were still riled up in the back of his head, but he didn’t feel the overwhelming need to kill Snape anymore. Having Voldemort’s magic surrounding him had helped Harry to get his head straight again.

_ “Very similar to a contract, except if one breaks an oath they not only lose their magic, but possibly also their life.”  _ Voldemort shot a stinging hex at Snape to get him to keep talking. 

“Dumbledore wanted me to swear to do everything he told me to do in order to protect Harry Potter, to always be his spy to ensure that when the time came Potter would be able to fulfill his destiny.” Severus expected to be hit with another curse, so he didn’t even pause in his explanation. “I refused that oath, but took one to always do everything in my power to keep Harry Potter safe.” 

Having been a slave to one master, Severus refused to become a slave to another. Even without the oath though, he would have done what he could to protect Lily’s son. It was the least he could do for the child since he had failed Lily. 

“I also owed James Potter a life debt, which transferred to his son at the time of his death.” 

Once again the room became silent, which weighed heavily on Severus. At least he knew that if his life were to end at that very moment, he had done what he could to keep Harry safe. He knew the boy would be safer with Voldemort than he ever would have been with Dumbledore, and that was enough for him. 

“Why…” 

The choked whisper that came from behind him was barely audible, but Severus heard it. It was the voice of a broken boy, lost in the world and unsure of who to trust. Severus knew that voice well; it was so very much like his own had been at that age. 

“Why did you...how could you…” 

There was so much pain in those words and Severus felt his heart breaking. He might have been able to keep Harry safe physically over the years, but he knew he had failed when it came to the boy’s emotional and mental state. After what he had seen in Dursley’s mind, they were all extremely lucky that Lily’s son hadn’t turned into another Dark Lord. 

“I loved your mother, more than I had ever loved anyone else.” Severus whispered, no longer even trying to pretend that he didn’t know what was going on. There was no point in hiding his secrets anymore. “She was my very first friend and she stood beside me for years. I failed her as a friend and that is the one regret I will always carry.” 

“And here I thought you were one of my most loyal.” Voldemort motioned for Harry to join him in front of Snape. He had dropped the body binding on the boy some time ago, when Harry had stopped struggling against his magic. Now he wanted Harry beside him to finish off this confrontation. 

Harry hesitated a moment, not sure if he wanted to look at Snape any longer, but Nagini was hissing encouragingly to him and Voldemort was holding out his hand to him. All Harry wanted in that moment, if he was completely honest with himself, was to be held safe in his dominants arms and block out the rest of the world. 

Voldemort practically purred when the emerald scaled boy finally slithered around Severus and took his offered hand. It was a small victory in Voldemort’s book, but a victory nonetheless. Harry was growing more comfortable with him, and that’s what mattered. 

“I imagine, Severusss, that even though you are Dumbledore’s spy, you are not loyal to him. Just as you are not loyal to me.” Voldemort slowly lifted Harry’s hand, bringing it closer to his lips. He wasn’t even looking at Snape, no, Voldemort’s gaze was locked with Harry’s emerald green eyes. 

“Your loyalty belongs to Harry Potter and don’t even try to deny it.” Voldemort sent a hex at Snape, forcing the man to look up just as Voldemort pressed his pale lips to the knuckles of Harry’s hand. 

Voldemort smirked at the stunned and flustered glare that Harry gave him. The glare was worth it, once Voldemort spotted the shocked, open mouthed, wide eyed stare from Snape. 

Whatever Severus had been expecting when he finally saw Harry Potter, was definitely not this. That small kiss could have been innocent, except the Dark Lord’s lips lingered over the boy’s skin and Potter’s cheeks were a very bright and obvious pink. Instead of pulling away or looking surprised, the boy actually looked like he was used to such attention. 

Just what had been going on during the time Potter had been living in the Malfoy Manor with the Dark Lord? 

Another stinging hex had Snape nodding quickly. “My loyalty is to Potter. I had not told you about his creature inheritance in order to protect him. As soon as I learned about his inheritance from his relatives, I made plans to get Potter out of the country and to the closest naga tribe.” 

Voldemort had been preparing himself for the possibility that his potions master was the spy in his midst, but knowing that the man was only a spy because of his loyalty to Potter relieved him somewhat. He wouldn’t have to kill Snape, not when he was bound by a magical oath to keep Harry safe. The man needed to be punished, but considering what Voldemort normally did to spies, Snape would be getting off easy. 

“If you are supposed to be so loyal to me, why were you such a horrible professor to me?” Harry demanded as he pulled his hand free from Voldemort and glared down at Snape. “Why did you yell at me for every little thing, punish me for mistakes that weren’t even my fault, belittle me every chance you got?” Harry’s voice was getting progressive louder as he listed off every grievance. 

“I was really excited to learn potions my first year, but you made me feel like I didn’t even deserve to have magic!” Harry spat out angrily. “I didn’t even know why you hated me so much until last year, just that you hated all Gryffindors.” 

Snape hung his head and he fought to keep from begging for forgiveness. Harry needed the truth of the matter, not platitudes. 

“I played the part that was expected of me.” And Snape had hated every moment of it. “Dumbledore purposefully tried to make me hate you as much as possible. If I had acted any differently towards you, Dumbledore would have become suspicious of me. I could not risk him doing something that would keep me from protecting you.”

His answer got him a long hiss from the boy, but Severus got the feeling that the hissing wasn’t really for him. 

“You knew just how bad Dumbledore was and you didn’t even try to warn me?” Harry snarled, but he knew logically that Snape wouldn’t have been able to tell him in any sort of way. Back before Sirius had died, Harry hadn’t thought badly about Dumbledore at all. More than likely if Snape had tried to warn him, Harry probably would have ignored him at best and at worst had gone to Dumbledore with the information. 

Harry didn’t wait for any sort of response from Snape, instead he lashed out at the closest breakable thing, which turned out to be a small pitcher of water on Voldemort’s desk. He grabbed it and threw it at the wall above the fireplace. The water splattered and dripped into the fire, causing the orange flames to hiss and the burning logs to snap. Hearing the glass of the pitcher shatter did nothing to calm Harry’s anger, but there was always something oddly satisfying about breaking things. 

“I hate him! I hate him! I HATE HIM!” The glass of water on the desk joined the shattered pitcher, and then a vase over on the opposite wall shattered because of Harry’s magic. Just as Harry grabbed the letter opener on Voldemort’s desk to throw at a wall or at the lounge in order to rip apart the fine leather seat, Voldemort stopped him. 

“Let Me GO!” Harry yelled as the blade was taken from his hand and he felt rather than saw Voldemort’s long white tail wrapping around him to keep him still. “He ruined my LIFE! I hate Him!” 

Just as it had done nearly a week ago, Harry’s magic was growing out of control. He was blind in his rage, fighting against Voldemort’s hold. After everything he had learned in the last week about Dumbledore and his manipulations, all Harry wanted to do was hunt the man down and bury his fangs into his neck. 

“Snape!” Voldemort was having trouble trying to both physically and magically contain Harry. The boy was powerful and with training he could probably become even more powerful than Voldemort himself. “Calming draught! Now!” 

The order had Snape acting automatically and he was already reaching into a hidden pocket in his robes where he stored a few potions for emergencies. Seeing how enraged the boy was though, Severus grabbed two from his pocket and quickly handed them over. 

“ _ I don’t want potions! Get off of me! Let me go!”  _ Harry slipped into parseltongue, his control completely gone and replaced by his instinct fueled rage. Dumbledore had taken so much from him and all Harry could think about was how different his life could have been had the old headmaster not meddled so much in his life. He could have had a full bond with Hedwig sooner, he could have gotten help from other adults growing up, maybe he could have been raised by people who actually cared about him. 

Maybe...maybe Sirius would have still been alive had Dumbledore not stuck his wrinkled old nose into Harry’s life. 

“ _ Harry, please, you need to calm down!”  _ Voldemort grabbed the first potion and fought to get Harry’s mouth open by pressing into his cheeks. If the boy couldn’t get his rage and magic under control, Voldemort would have to use his own magic to dive back into the bond and take control himself. 

Perhaps it was because Voldemort was holding Harry as close as he could, or maybe it was because he was wrapped around the boy, but even though Harry was still struggling he wasn’t trying to hurt Voldemort in any way. So he was able to pry open Harry’s mouth and pour in the first potion faster than he had first anticipated. Getting Harry to swallow the potion and not spit it back up was the hard part. 

Voldemort ended up clamping his hand over Harry’s mouth to keep the boy from trying to spit the calming draught back out, but even then he had to wait until he felt Harry swallow multiple times before he let go. 

Most of the potion made it down, but a small line dribbled past Harry’s lips. The boy was still spitting mad though so Voldemort ended up grabbing the second potion and forcing it into Harry as well. 

With Harry’s instincts, to take out the danger to him, as riled up as they were, it took several long minutes for the two calming draughts to get to work. When they finally did, Harry went completely limp in Voldemort’s arms. 

Harry didn’t fall asleep, but having two strong calming draughts forced into him one right after the other did a number on him. He felt like he was floating, his emotions detached from his body. Harry could feel himself being picked up and moved to the lounge in front of the fire, he could feel Voldemort adjusting him until Harry’s head was resting in the older naga’s lap, he even understood when Voldemort ordered Snape to take one of the available seats. Harry just didn’t really feel like he cared about anything happening. 

All Harry cared about in that moment, was how very comfortable Voldemort’s lap was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Samhain/Halloween! We had a few trick or treaters show up, which I left a bowl of candy outside our front door and refilled it once every kid left. Also got a visit from my grandfather that night. Seeing him again, even in a dream, left me feeling warm and content. 
> 
> Next chapter will be Monday the 9th of November
> 
> Next time: More cuddling, but from Voldemort's point of view.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing some more shocking and horrifying news, from Snape this time, Harry has a breakdown and needs some calming draught to keep him from destroying Voldemort's study. While Voldemort is keeping him calm and relaxed, the Dark Lord and Snape have a very serious conversation about what they will do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe, so some people have been bringing up the fact that Harry keeps getting drugged up with calming draught. Don't worry, they lighten up on the drugging after awhile. It's just that Harry's emotions are all over the place right now and his magic lashing out is NOT a good thing (especially to the architecture). 
> 
> But ya know, I needed some sort of excuse to get Voldemort and Harry cuddling while in front of Snape.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 29

Even with the double dose of calming draughts in his system, Harry’s instincts were still at the forefront of his mind. If it hadn’t been for the fact that his potential courting dominant was holding him, comforting him, his instincts might have attempted to fight off the effects of the potions. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but if Harry felt like he was in immediate danger, his instincts could fight past anything. 

But he didn’t have to worry about feeling like he was in danger because of Dumbledore, not when Voldemort was rocking him against his chest and whispering softly that he was safe. Harry didn’t have to worry about anything really, not when he had such a strong dominant holding him and staying coiled around him. 

Harry had never felt so safe and secure before, not at Hogwarts, not with Hagrid, not with his friends, and definitely not when he had been with his relatives. Up until that moment Harry had always felt a small bit of wariness wherever he was, but Voldemort just radiated safety. It relaxed Harry to the point where he felt like he was floating. 

He felt when Voldemort gently slipped his arms under him so he could lift Harry up, but he didn’t really care about being moved so long as his potential dominant was still protecting him. He whimpered softly, momentarily, when Voldemort had to let go of him in order to settle him onto the lounge. His whimpering quickly subsided and turned into happy cooes and sighs when Voldemort adjusted him until Harry’s head was in the man’s scaled lap. 

A small part of Harry was embarrassed by the intimate position, especially with Snape in the room, but a large part of him just didn’t care about anything other than how comfortable he was. If he had been a cat, he would have been purring.

When he felt something carding through his hair, gently rubbing along his head and across the side of his neck, Harry started humming softly to show his contentedness. His eyes drifted closed and every now and then he would sigh happily. He felt so cared for, so treasured, whenever those fingers would brush through his hair only to tuck each strand behind a pointed ear. 

Harry was blissfully content. 

For a long time the only sounds in the room were those coming from Harry, the soft humming and gentle sighs. Voldemort didn’t dare say or do anything but comfort the young submissive until he was sure Harry’s instincts were relaxed enough to stay calm. 

“Sit down Severus.” Voldemort ordered the man quietly. He didn’t want to disturb Harry, but he needed to finish things with Snape before sending the man away. 

As quickly and quietly as he could, Snape took the seat that his Lord had motioned towards. He was concerned by how docile Harry had been after being given the potions, especially while in Voldemort’s embrace, but he wasn’t about to try and talk to Harry about it. The boy was finally calmed down and if it meant keeping him with Voldemort to keep the boy from exploding again, then Snape wasn’t about to separate the two of them. 

“I can not begin to tell you just how angry I am with you Severus.” Voldemort glared over at the dark eyed man that was doing his best to avoid eye contact. “I want to torture you until you can’t string together two words, rip out your tongue for the lies that you have told me, and cut off your head to send back to Dumbledore.” 

Even with how gruesome Voldemort was describing how he wanted to punish the man, he was keeping his voice gentle and even. 

“But I won’t. Do you know why?”

The question hung in the air between them until Severus could build up the courage to finally answer the Dark Lord. 

“I believe because of my oath to protect Potter?” It was the only reason that made sense to Severus. He could see just how close the two had gotten in the short amount of time they had been living near each other, and it was blatantly obvious that Voldemort at least cared about the teenager. 

“Precisely.” Voldemort smirked darkly at Snape, feeling rather entertained by the fearful wariness in the man’s gaze. “If not for the fact that your loyalty belongs to Potter, I would have destroyed you, utterly and completely.” He stopped speaking for a moment when Harry shifted slightly in his lap. 

“It is only because you still have usefulness that I will let you live.” Voldemort smiled slightly when the boy who was resting his head in his lap sighed again and began to fall into a light doze. Knowing that the submissive naga’s instincts trusted him to protect him made Voldemort extremely happy. 

Voldemort let Snape absorb what he had said for a few minutes, content to just focus on keeping Harry comfortable. A part of him hated that Snape was seeing Harry in such a vulnerable state, but Voldemort knew that the man needed to see this. He needed to know that Voldemort was serious about taking care of Harry and that the boy was safe with him. 

“I will want a new oath from you Severus, you understand this don’t you?” 

Snape nodded dejectedly, but he understood. His oath to protect Harry Potter could easily be manipulated if one knew the loopholes. It was completely possible for Dumbledore to use compulsions or some other mind magic to trick Severus into believing that to save Potter, he had to kidnap him from where he was actually safe. 

It’s how Dumbledore had kept Severus from fulfilling his oath in the past, by telling him that Potter was safest behind the wards of his relatives’ home. Severus had believed the old man’s words, so the magic of the oath had been satisfied. 

“I understand my Lord.” As much as Severus did not want to become a slave once more to the Dark Lord, he knew that he would need to do anything for the man to be able to stay close to Potter. He would not make the same mistakes he had made with Dumbledore; Severus was going to keep a closer eye on Harry and be more hands on with the boy’s protection. 

“Oh do not look so miserable Severus.” Voldemort was smirking again at the man, his sharper than normal teeth glinting in the firelight. “I’m not going to make you swear your life to me, since it seems to have not taken the last time.” 

For a moment Voldemort focused on the sleeping boy that was resting partially in his lap. “No. The oath I will have you take will simply be to ensure that Harry will stay safe. You will swear an oath of truth to both myself and Harry so that you will never be able to lie to either of us ever again.” 

Knowing that Snape couldn’t lie to him anymore might get Harry to relax around Snape and come to trust him; at least that’s what Voldemort hoped. As traitorous as the potions master was, he was also the best person to help tutor Harry. Hopefully with the two of them no longer in the Hogwarts setting and Snape no longer needing to pretend to hate Harry, the two would get along better. 

“I’ll also want you to take a secrecy oath so that Dumbledore won’t be able to use legilimency to learn about Harry.” There were a few other things Voldemort will want to do, including placing a tracking spell into the mark on Snape’s arm. 

If something was to happen that involved Snape being controlled in such a way to put Harry into danger, Voldemort wanted to be able to find the man quickly and efficiently. A tracking spell on Harry would be too obvious, but one on Snape wouldn’t. A tracking spell in the mark itself would also keep it hidden by the magic already there. 

Better to plan for the worst and not be surprised when it comes to pass. 

“What did you tell Dumbledore when I summoned you?” 

“I told him that I was summoned and that I did not know if I would be able to return in time for the feast.” 

At least that made things easier for Voldemort. “Good. You’ll stay here tonight and we’ll do a full ritual oath ceremony so that Dumbeldore won’t be able to break it.” It would also ensure that the magic of the oath would be a little more sentient and wouldn’t be tricked so easily. Using a ritual ceremony rather than just an oath would also protect Severus. If a simple oath was broken, even if it wasn’t the takers fault, the taker would be instantly punished. With a ceremony oath the taker would only be punished by magic itself if the taker truly was at fault. 

“Yes, my Lord.” 

Voldemort nodded at the acceptance and then flicked a commanding hand at Snape. “Go to the ritual room and wait for me there.” 

There was a moment of hesitation in Snape’s obedience, but Voldemort knew it was not because he was trying to pull a fast one. No. He knew it was because Snape didn’t want to leave Harry alone. 

Thankfully Voldemort didn’t need to issue another order to get Snape moving. The man swiftly got up and left the room leaving Voldemort alone with the younger naga that was napping in his lap. 

For a few minutes Voldemort just ran his fingers through Harry’s hair, enjoying the feeling of having such a beautiful and powerful submissive so relaxed in his presence. It was a promising sign that the boy’s instincts were like this, it meant they had a high compatibility with each other. 

Now all Voldemort had to do was convince the boy to accept the courtship. 

After a while of just sitting there and thinking of what he needed to do to finally convince Harry, Voldemort sighed. He could think about things all he wanted, but nothing would get done if he didn’t wake up the boy. 

“ _Harry.”_ Very gently, Voldemort shook Harry’s shoulder to rouse him. The younger naga grumbled and attempted to roll over to get his shoulder away from the shaking hand. “ _You need to wake up Harry.”_ And yet the boy was not waking up. If anything he was fighting even harder to stay in Voldemort’s lap. 

Harry’s arms had snaked around Voldemort’s waist and he ended up clinging to the older dominant. His cheek was pressed up against Voldemort’s stomach, just under his ribcage. It would have been adorable, but he really needed to get Harry back to his own rooms. 

With a sigh of defeat, Voldemort changed tactics. Perhaps the boy was more worn down and exhausted than first thought, but no matter, Voldemort would take care of him. Being as careful as he could, Voldemort slipped his arms once more under Harry and very gently slipped the boy further into his lap. Once Harry was settled, the boy’s nose going unconsciously into the crook of Voldemort’s neck, Voldemort stood up. 

It was unnerving to feel just how light the younger naga was, but Voldemort was determined to rectify that. Once he had the necessary potion recipes for Harry’s recovery plan, he would make sure the boy put on a few pounds. 

Soon enough Voldemort was in Harry’s rooms and attempting to get the boy to uncoil from around him to lay down in the bed. During the walk through the halls from his study to Harry’s rooms, Harry had proceeded to wrap his _entire_ tail around Voldemort’s waist and hips. 

Voldemort had not been expecting that little complication. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except the boy was definitely tightening his tail muscles up whenever Voldemort tried to put him down onto the bed. 

“ _Harry…”_ Perhaps Harry’s instincts were a bit too comfortable with Voldemort, as loathe as the older dominant was to admit it. He was starting to worry that the boy’s instincts would push Harry to accept a courtship he wasn’t at all ready for. 

As much as Voldemort didn’t want to consider it, he had to wonder if maybe waiting to court Harry would be the smarter move. Both their instincts wanted to court, but forcing the younger naga into the courtship could possibly damage any sort of relationship they might have. 

It was something that he needed to talk to Harry about. 

“ _You are safe Harry, but I need you to lie down now.”_ First thing was first, he had to get Harry to let him go. Even though he was sound asleep, he was like a boa constrictor wrapped around Voldemort. Every little move the older naga made was met by a tightening tail and a small whimper from the young submissive. 

Learning the truth about Dumbledore and Snape must have really left Harry feeling very vulnerable and betrayed, not that Voldemort could blame him. 

In the end Voldemort found a way to comfort Harry enough to unwind the boy’s tail. He ended up laying in bed with Harry and petting at his hair and back until Harry finally let out a little content sigh and relaxed his tail. To be on the safe side though, and to make sure Harry didn’t wake up and panic, Voldemort left his outer robe folded up on the pillow next to Harry’s head. His scent would keep the submissive’s instincts calm and allow the boy to continue resting. 

It was a trick that Voldemort had learned during the 3 months he had lived with the Greek naga tribe. A submissive’s instincts were hard to calm down after being riled up by fear and anger, and a dominant didn’t always have the time to stay with their submissive to calm them down, especially if danger was still around. Leaving something with the submissive that was soaked in the dominant’s scent helped to give the submissive a sense of calm so that their instincts could relax once more. This gave the dominant enough time to take care of whatever danger was around and get back to their submissive quickly. 

The trick seemed to work on Harry, who snuggled up close to the folded up piece of fabric and even grabbed it to cling to it like a baby blanket. As Voldemort slowly backed away from the bed, he watched as Harry rolled around on the robe and wrapped it around him in his sleep. 

For Voldemort, the entire scene was just too adorable and he wished he could stick around to just watch as Harry, still asleep and still running on instincts, soaked himself in the older dominant’s scent. Watching the boy wake up and become embarrassed as he realized what had happened would also be very entertaining for Voldemort. 

“ _He had a bit of a shock today.”_ Voldemort murmured when one of the two snakes that had been resting in front of the fire shifted. “ _I’ll be back later to check on him.”_

_“My Hassis has been having many shocks lately.”_ Hassaria uncoiled and began making her way slowly towards her hatchling's bed nest. “ _My poor hatchling has so much on his mind already, more shocking news is not good for him at all.”_ The elder adder was now at the bed and working her way up the corner post of the bed frame to join Harry. “ _He is so very fragile.”_ Those words came out as a whisper from her and Voldemort was fairly sure she hadn’t meant for him to hear that bit. 

She coiled up on and around Harry’s hips, the way she used to when they were sleeping back in the forest, before lifting her head to stare at Voldemort with her milky half blind eyes. “ _If you wish to mate with my Hassis, you will need to prove to me that you are worthy of him. I know you hurt him greatly in the past, but I am willing to give you a chance.”_

If a snake could glare, she would be. As it was she held as still as possible and exposed her fangs. “ _A Blessed one you may be, but my loyalty is to my Hassis. If you ever harm him again, I will call on the Great Mother to punish you.”_

Voldemort had been expecting this confrontation with Harry’s adoptive snake mother eventually, and he had come up with quite the speech to reassure her that Harry’s safety and happiness were of his utmost importance, but Voldemort just didn’t have the time at the moment. He needed to get Snape through the ritual oaths and then give him his new orders. 

“ _I understand, Mother Hassaria, and I give my promise to you that I will never harm your hatchling intentionally again.”_ Voldemort wasn’t perfect and he was willing to admit it when it came to relationships. He was bound to mess up eventually and he just had to hope that Harry understood that this was just as new to him as it was for the boy. 

Having the old adder staring at him with those half blind eyes was unnerving, but Voldemort just couldn’t look away from her judging gaze. Finally she nodded and dropped her gaze to her son. 

Taking it as a sign that she was done speaking to him, Voldemort turned and hurried out of Harry’s rooms. He needed to deal with Snape and then he would return to speak more at length with the adder.

* * *

Severus felt like he was in a dream as he made his way through the halls and down to the main floor of the manor where the ritual room was located. 

When he had been summoned and Lucius had given him his warning, Severus had been expecting to be killed, or at least tortured within an inch of his life. Instead he had ended up telling Voldemort everything that had been happening and about the oath he had taken all those years ago. 

He didn’t regret his decision. After seeing Harry in Voldemort’s presence and how the boy was actually calmed by the Dark Lord, it had Snape even more resolved in his decision to reveal the truth to the man. He would still keep his backup plan to get Harry out of the country, but he would have to make a few adjustments. 

If the Dark Lord made him swear not to take Harry anywhere without his say so, Severus would be screwed. He just hoped that the man would know that giving such an order would put them all at a disadvantage if Dumbledore and his Order of flaming chickens tried to take Harry.

To be completely honest, Severus was at a complete loss over everything that had happened. Never in his wildest theories would he have ever predicted that Potter would somehow end up in the same place as Voldemort as a guest. After what he had just witnessed though, Severus had to wonder if Potter was more than just a guest to the Dark Lord. 

Thinking of the Dark Lord had Severus tugging at the sleeve cuffs of his robes nervously. He had known the man had physical attributes that resembled a snake, but he had no idea that the man himself had been a naga! Severus had never even heard of anyone seeing Voldemort with a snake tail or scales before his defeat at the hands of the Potter brat, and he had explained away the newly developed white scales as a byproduct of Pettigrew’s less than subpar potion skills.

It wouldn't have been too much of a leap to guess that the rat of a wizard had messed up the ritual. 

But now he knew the truth. The Dark Lord was a naga and had decided to reveal that fact to a select few. Obviously Pettigrew hadn’t known otherwise the little brown noser would have said something. 

Knowing that both his Lord and Harry Potter were naga made it even more important for Severus to research the supposed dark race of beings. He’d learned a few tidbits back in his early years of Defense Against the Dark Arts, as well as Care of Magical Creatures, but nothing really substantial. After learning that Harry was a naga he’d found a couple more books with more information, but nothing really informative past the ‘dangerous-kill on sight’ ministry propaganda. 

Severus was nothing if not thorough and he would find more information; as discreetly as he could of course. 

He had arrived at the Malfoy Manor ritual room during his mental ramblings and had quickly gone to his knees just outside of the ritual circle. There was evidence of a recent cleansing having been performed on the space, which meant it had been used for a ritual within the last few days. 

Severus had to wonder if the Dark Lord had been the one to perform the last ritual and if he was up for an oath binding ritual. He really shouldn’t have questioned the man’s magical strength though, seeing as how he was the Dark Lord. 

He ended up waiting kneeling on the floor for quite some time, and it worried Severus. His mind went wild imagining just what the Dark Lord could be doing to young Potter. If it hadn’t been obvious that Voldemort was protective of Harry, Severus would have been worried that perhaps the Dark Lord had become annoyed over how the boy had used him as a pillow. 

It was a well known fact that the Dark Lord had a very violent temper and that he would sometimes become incensed over the smallest of things. Severus had been one of the lucky few to avoid the majority of the torture curses that the man threw around, but he had been a front row witness to just how quickly Voldemort’s moods changed. 

Again Severus had to wonder if it really was a wise decision to leave Harry in the presence of such an insane individual. The boy had already suffered from an abusive childhood, he didn’t need to end up in some sort of controlling abusive relationship as well. 

Were Potter and the Dark Lord in some sort of relationship? The way Voldemort had held Harry, had comforted him and pulled him from his rage, spoke of something much more than just a protector or guardian. And then there was the way that the boy seemed so very content to be near the Dark Lord, to the point of becoming distressed if they were separated. There just had to be something going on between them. 

Perhaps Narcissa would be able to update him on what was going on? As strategic and politically minded as Lucius was, he often missed things like relationships or flirting between individuals. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Narcissa had been very blunt in her appreciation of Lucius, Severus doubted the man would have ever noticed. She had definitely spent the majority of her school career encouraging Lucius to notice her and develop feelings for her. 

If he didn’t get the chance to speak with Narcissa in person, he would have to speak with Draco once Severus returned to Hogwarts. 

If he returned to Hogwarts at all that was. There was the possibility that the Dark Lord would change his mind and instead of binding Severus to ritual oaths, he would just kill him and wash his hands of Severus. 

The long wait for the Dark Lord to appear gave Severus time to not only think, but time to also reorganize his occlumency shields. He’d been so shocked by Voldemort’s behavior during the meeting and then by Potter’s appearance that Severus had lost some control over his emotions. Now that he was calmed down and his Slytherin mask was back in place, Severus felt more in control of the situation. 

He really shouldn’t have lost so much control over himself in the first place, but could anyone really blame him for his little slip ups in the last couple hours? In the last week Severus had been under a great deal of stress after all so it wasn’t like he was at his full capabilities. 

Just how long was it going to take for Voldemort to finally make an appearance? Was this another test of Severus’ loyalty to see if he would still follow orders? Or was this a form of torture to see how long it would take before Severus cracked from nervousness? 

Thankfully the door to the ritual room opened only a few minutes later and Severus caught himself before he let out a little sigh of relief. 

As the Dark Lord entered the ritual room, Severus got as good a look at the man as he could from where he was kneeling with his head bowed. Voldemort didn’t seem at all angry or upset, if anything he was strutting as if he was happy about something. Severus also knew that he hadn’t used any of the usual torture curses seeing as how the Dark Lord’s magic always gave off a bit of a oppressing feeling afterwards. 

What was disturbing to Severus, was the fact that the man was no longer wearing his outer robe and instead was clad in a dark grey button up shirt and dark slacks.

“My Lord.” Severus bent forward and pressed his forehead against the floor in contrition. Better to beg for forgiveness as many times as he needed to for the rest of his life in order to keep the insane man happy. 

Voldemort grinned ever so slightly as the spy prostrated himself on the floor. It was nice to know that Severus worried for his life and would continue to worry about his life for some time to come. 

“Seeing as how you have agreed to a ritual oath binding, I need to give you any relevant information on what has been happening with Harry.” The problem with performing ritual oaths instead of normal oaths was that both parties had to be honest with each other. If one side was trying to trick the other with false information, Magic itself would punish the offender. 

“The first thing you need to know is that I will no longer be pursuing Harry’s death. If anything I’ll be doing everything in my power to make sure he lives a long and fruitful life.” Voldemort smirked as he thought of all the ways the boy could be ‘fruitful’ in his life. If the image of a few children running around playing came to mind, he kept it to himself. 

“As you know, after Harry turned 16 he became a naga. What you probably don’t know is that he is a submissive naga.” He hated admitting this information to Snape, but it needed to be said seeing as how the man was one of the few people that Harry would even be able to go to for advice if he wanted. “Because of that I have proposed a courtship with him. Harry has yet to make a decision.” 

Severus felt the blood drain from his face. His suspicions that there was something more going on between the Dark Lord and Harry Potter seemed to have been confirmed and he definitely wished he had been wrong. 

“Don’t look so worried Severusssss,” Voldemort cooed with a sickening smirk “if Harry declines my offer, I will accept his choice. Even so, no matter what he decides I will remain his protector and guardian now and forever.”

That brought some relief to Severus, even if it was just a tiny bit. With how volatile Voldemort’s moods were when he didn’t get his way, Severus worried that Harry would end up under his ire. He still worried that that might happen eventually. 

“Do you know about his home life with his relatives?” 

Severus looked up sharply before dropping his gaze to the floor. “Yes my Lord. I had my suspicions after last year when I tried to teach the boy Occlumency, but I learned the full truth after I looked into his muggle uncle’s mind.” A shudder of revulsion went through both men at the thought. 

“I see.” If Severus had known about the abuse for any longer than that, Voldemort would have had to punish the man even more than he already planned to. “Because of what his relatives have done to him, Harry will be needing a great deal of healing. Many of his bones are going to need to be vanished and regrown, he will need to take many potions, and he will need a mind healer. My personal healer believes it will take years until Harry is at his optimal health. Once the naga healers respond to my correspondence, I will have you make the necessary potions Harry will need.” 

Swallowing hard, Severus could only nod in response. He had known that the boy had suffered a great deal, but for his healing to take years? It was unthinkable what with all that magic could do. He should have done more while the boy had been in school, insisted that he at least get nutrition potions when he had noticed how little Potter had eaten every year at the start of term. 

He should have done something, anything, but it was too late now. 

There was one last thing that Voldemort needed to tell Snape, and he was loath to do so. It was the one secret that he had been able to keep from almost everyone for years and it was the one thing that ensured his continued immortality. If it weren’t for the fact that ritual oath bindings were more powerful and couldn’t be worked around, Voldemort wouldn’t even be thinking of telling Snape anything. 

“Harry Potter is also my horcrux. He carries a piece of my soul inside of him.” At least Voldemort wouldn’t have to share just how many of his soul containers he had made over the years. All Snape needed to know was about the one inside of Harry. 

The dumbfounded look that Voldemort was being graced with from Snape made up for the fact that the secret had to be shared. 

“I believe that’s everything that the oaths I want you to make will cover. Let’s get started.” 

The sharp maniacal grin full of pointed fangs had Severus wishing for a moment that he would rather be tortured to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter 29. 
> 
> I want to remind everyone that if you find anything wrong with each chapter, please tell me. Even after reading each chapter multiple times and having beta readers go through, little things can still slip past us. If you see something, either a confusing plot thing, spelling, or grammar, please tell me so I can fix it. 
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 16th of November
> 
> Next time: 4 days later and Harry gets his first letter from Draco. He learns about some of the things that are happening around Hogwarts. After Draco's letter though, there's a surprise note from someone else at Hogwarts.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's now Friday, 4 days since the whole thing with Snape. Harry gets his first letter from Draco and there's a little surprise included with the letter.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 30

It was now Friday the 5th of September and it had been 4 days since Severus Snape had been in the manor and Harry’s instincts had overwhelmed his conscious mind. 

  
Waking up afterwards had been a rather upsetting thing for him, seeing as how he had woken up clutching Voldemort’s robes and an annoying physical reaction below his waist that had Harry taking a cold shower. Voldemort had shown up a few hours after he’d woken up to explain what had happened to Harry and how sometimes, during extreme emotional turmoil, one’s naga instincts would take over in order to find the quickest solution to eliminating all danger. 

Harry figured it was a lot like an adrenaline induced rage; sudden, uncontrollable, and hard to remember afterwards. 

The explanation for why he had Voldemort’s robes was conveniently left out and Harry was told to read his naga book when he asked about it. The book itself talked about how naga’s relied a great deal on scent in order to detect danger, safety, emotions, and even illness. When a naga was being overwhelmed by instincts, the scent of their family members could calm them down. 

For some insane reason Harry’s instincts had decided that Voldemort’s scent was exactly what he needed and it left him feeling absolutely flustered and even more confused about his feelings. 

So here he was, 4 days later and Harry had pretty much been avoiding Voldemort like the plague. He still had meals with the man, when invited, but otherwise the two of them seemed to have come to a silent agreement to give each other space. From what Harry could tell, it wasn’t just him that needed time to think. 

At each and every meal they had shared, the older naga had been quiet and would sometimes frown slightly at Harry. It was such a change from how he had been acting before that it left Harry feeling on edge. He wasn’t expecting to be attacked, but he was pretty sure Voldemort was planning something. 

On Tuesday, the day after Snape had shown up, Narcissa had taken the initiative before anything else could happen, and had brought in her personal tailor all the way from Paris. Harry had ended up with almost a dozen new crisp long sleeve shirts, almost as many short sleeve shirts, a half dozen informal robes and even a couple formal robes. Almost everything was made from such a lightweight silk that at times Harry forgot he was even wearing anything. 

The tailor had told him that the material he had used was popular in the Greek naga tribe and was made by a race of Spider beings known as the Arachniads. Apparently the Arachniads were humans that could transform into giant spiders similar to Acromantulas. They were also supposedly close allies with the nagas.

As much as Narcissa tried to get Harry to try on the weird corset belt things, he had politely refused. He had to admit they had looked really nice, most were a soft leather or thick embroidered silk, and were studded with little stones, but Harry really did not want to wear anything that might make him feel even a little bit girly. 

On the other hand the tailor had brought a thin belt with a wand holster attachment that was very gender neutral in design. Most of Harry’s shirts would cover the belt so it wasn’t like it was on display at all, not like the corset belts had been. 

At the end of the entire fitting session when Harry had asked about the price, Narciss had quickly told him not to worry about it at all. That told him that either Voldemort had already paid for everything, which was highly likely seeing as how he was still trying to woo Harry and all, or Narcissa had done so. 

Nothing much else had happened after that. Mostly Harry stayed either in his rooms or in the little garden. At one point he had ventured into the manor library, but he had left just as quickly when he’d realized there were other people inside. 

Now it was Friday and Harry had been living in the manor for almost two weeks. He never would have imagined being anywhere near the Malfoy manor let alone living it in for any length of time. And yet here he was, living comfortably in the home of his old school yard nemesis and surrounded by Death Eaters and their Dark Lord. 

And he was still, miraculously, alive. 

Harry found himself staring up at the ceiling of his rooms from his so very comfortable bed early on Friday morning. His thoughts were all over the place, ranging from how much his life had changed in the last couple months to what he should do next. A part of him still wanted to find a way to the continent to find the naga tribe, while another part wanted to stick around and see what a courtship with Voldemort would be like. 

Despite how things seemed at times, Harry did have options available to him. As much as Voldemort would want to keep him close, the Dark Lord had already told him that should Harry want to go to the naga tribe, Voldemort would take him there himself. It was an option that Harry could take if he decided he really couldn’t stay in Britain any longer. 

A series of tapping sounds from the window closest to Harry’s bed distracted him from his thoughts. At the window was one of the largest and angriest looking eagle owls he had ever seen, and yet there was something oddly familiar about it. The owl, seeing that even though he had the boy’s attention but that the boy had yet to come to the window, pecked harshly at the window glass once more. 

“Alright, alright, I’m coming.” Harry sighed heavily as he tugged back his blankets and reluctantly swung his tail up and over the edge of the bed. 

As soon as the window was open for the owl, said angry bird had dropped the letter it had been carrying and quickly turned around and left right back out the window. Harry blinked in shock and then shook his head sadly. It would seem that Hedwig remained the only owl that was willing to stay in his presence for longer than a few seconds. 

The letter wasn’t actually addressed to Harry, but to his rooms. It probably meant that the person sending him the letter knew who he was and was trying to be discreet. None of the death eaters that knew Harry as Hassis knew exactly which room Harry was even staying in, so it couldn't have been from any of them. Heck even Snape was oblivious to which rooms Harry was living in even though he knew that Harry was staying in Malfoy Manor. 

Which left only 3 people who could have written him, and two of those would have simply come up to talk to him themselves. 

Sure enough when Harry opened the letter, he found Draco’s name right at the bottom written with probably the curliest cursive writing Harry had ever seen. The signature itself screamed pretentiousness and Harry couldn’t help but imagine Draco spending hours upon hours perfecting his signature. 

_ To Hassis, _

_ Before you become concerned, I’ve layered this letter under a Designated Recipient charm. That means that if anyone except you opens this letter, they will see a rather bland letter written to my parents. Once you have opened the envelope, my real letter will be revealed. It’s a rather ingenious charm that can easily be bungled if done incorrectly or by someone of less talent than myself. _

Of course Draco would sound egotistical almost immediately in a letter. Harry figured he would end up rolling his eyes at last a dozen times by the time he finished the letter if the rest of it was like the beginning. 

_ Unfortunately the charm is necessary, as it seems there is still a post ward around Hogwarts that redirects mail when certain keywords are detected. My father claims the ward has been around even while he was in school, but whenever an inspector comes for the summer ward checks, they never find it. It has been infuriating my father ever since he joined the Board seeing as how he was hoping to use that piece of knowledge to put a black mark on Dumbledore’s file. _

Harry should have known that Draco would write a rambling letter. In fact he should have noticed sooner that the letter wasn’t even a single page of parchment, but rather several pages. Just how much had happened in the last week that would require Draco to write so much?!

_ Well, needless to say you’ll need to request that my mother cast the Designated Recipient charm for you until you can do so on your own. I’m sure my mother would be more than happy to tutor you in various charms and spells that you may find useful, I’m sure you’ll need some sort of tutoring so you don’t fall too far behind this year.  _

He was glaring at the letter and the mocking tone that Draco was using. Harry wasn’t sure if Draco even realized how he sounded even while writing, it was just so….so Draco. 

_ This week has been rather interesting to say the least. First off, we both lost the bet on who Dumbledore would hire to be the new Defense teacher; it’s Severus! Professor Snape has finally been given the Defense position after wanting it since forever. Unfortunately that means we got a new potions professor and I must say, I am not at all impressed with Professor Slughorn.  _

_ If you thought Umbridge was bad last year with her kissing up to me and the other purebloods, Slughorn is way worse. He’s constantly laying the compliments on myself, even if it is deserved, and the others that are either at the top of their years or are related to very prestigious persons. He even has these little ‘parties’ planned where he’s inviting choice students to meet and greet with several of his graduated students.  _

_ Honestly, it’s annoying and that’s coming from me! _

Harry snickered softly at that. If even Draco was complaining about getting positive attention, then it really must be bad.

_ You know what the worst part of having Slughorn as a teacher is? He lowered the standards for getting into the NEWTS potions class. There are so many idiots in the class now that really shouldn’t be here. I mean, the Weasel was able to get into advanced potions and let me tell you that the first class was terrible.  _

_ Which leads me into what I’m sure you’re actually interested in.  _

_ Potter.  _

Harry winced as he read his own name on the parchment. He knew Draco was being careful, even with the charms on the letter, so he couldn’t exactly talk about how the version of him attending Hogwarts was fake. That didn’t change the fact that it was weird reading about himself from Draco. 

_ Because of the change in professors, Potter also got into the NEWTS potions class and he is an absolute dunce! I swear he has gotten far worse in potions over the summer. At least before he was competent enough to actually prepare his ingredients correctly. This year it’s as if he has completely forgotten how to hold a knife. Granger had to help Potter so often that her own potion barely passed Slughorn’s little pop quiz. She practically did the entire potion for Potter since he wasn’t even following the directions that were in the book. I don’t think Potter even glanced more than a second at the book honestly.  _

_ Needless to say, Slughorn was extremely disappointed in all three of them, especially Potter. I won the beginning of the term prize, which turned out to be a bottle of Felix Felicis. I’ll definitely be putting this little good luck potion to good use! _

He had to wonder if they had even taught the golem how to read. Could golems read? They had to be able to read and write, otherwise the golem really was going to fail out before the winter holidays. 

_ Potter did a bit better during transfiguration and charms, but barely. Again he didn’t seem to be able to read any of the instructions that were written down and it took both Weasel and Granger working with him in order for him to get the wand movements correct.  _

_ From what I hear, Defense for Potter must have been a real riot. He was arguing so much with Snape that he ended up getting a month's worth of detentions and Gryffindor lost 50 points in a single day! I wish Slytherins took Defense with Gryffindors, I would have paid to see Potter screw up that badly.  _

Now Harry was really wondering if he should be insulted by how badly the fake him was doing, or entertained by Draco’s commentary. 

_ The only class Potter actually did decently in was Care of Magical Creatures, probably because there’s no reading involved and the giant Oaf of a teacher favors him to an insane degree.  _

Harry had to stop reading for a moment as his thoughts went to Hagrid. It hurt to think that Hagrid might have been one of the people to also betray him, especially since the half-giant had always been supportive of Harry. He had been the first person to ever give Harry a birthday cake and a gift, he was the one that introduced Harry to the magical world and had told him about what had really happened to his parents. 

The pain Harry felt over the very thought that Hagrid had betrayed him, had chosen to do whatever Dumbledore said, hurt more than Harry wanted to admit. He could only hope that the gentle man had no idea about what was really going on, but Harry had no idea if he could ever trust someone who practically worshipped Dumbledore. 

Thinking about Hagrid had Harry thinking about the other adults in his life. Voldemort had told him about Hedwig's memories, and how Remus had been absent from both. It was completely plausible that Remus had no idea about what was going on or what Dumbledore had planned, especially since the old man had sent Remus out on impossible missions to try and convince the werewolves not to side with Voldemort. 

If only Harry could talk to Remus.

_ Weaslette is constantly hanging onto Potter, what is completely disgusting is how he does everything that she tells him to do. If I didn’t know any better, I would assume he’s been dosed with amortentia, especially when the red headed harpy climbs into Potter’s lap during meals and has him feeding her by hand. The other Slytherins and I have already started placing bets on how long that behavior goes on before Professor Snape snaps and starts taking points.  _

Gagging at the very idea of being in any sort of relationship with Ginny, Harry quickly skipped over the next couple paragraphs that continued to detail the golem’s relationship with the girl. He really did NOT want to read any of that. 

_ Potter’s behavior has left quite a few of his friends quite stumped. In fact I’m pretty sure Potter insulted Longbottom at dinner the other night. At least that’s what I believe seeing as how Longbottom looked about ready to strangle Potter. Several of the other Gryffindor 6th years have started avoiding Potter whenever he is around.  _

_ Granger has been acting quite frantic over Potter’s behavior and has even taken him aside to empty classrooms quite a few times. Every time they return, Potter acts differently than when they left, so I’m pretty sure Granger is lecturing him quite heavily. It all happens quite frequently. Weasley doesn’t seem to have noticed any sort of odd behavior coming from Potter and he just waves away people’s questions when they approach him.  _

At least people were noticing that he wasn’t acting like himself, but Harry hated that his classmates and friends were being treated badly; especially Neville. It was obvious that Neville wasn’t involved with Dumbledore’s schemes and Harry had to wonder if there was any way for him to get into contact with Neville. He could send a letter, through Draco, but Harry was concerned that Neville wouldn’t believe anything he wrote. And what if Neville took the letter to the fake Potter and questioned him about it? 

_ As a side note, Weasley seems to have gotten quite the upgrade to his clothes and other belongings. He even has a brand new Firebolt to match Potter.  _

_ The only normal thing about Potter is how he is practically stalking my every move, not all that different from previous years honestly, but I feel like it’s even worse now. I’ve caught him and Weasel near the Slytherin common room entrance 4 times now and it’s only the first week of school! I admit that I am going to be having a bit of fun with this and will lead them both on a happy little trail of misdirection.  _

_ I’ve already spoken to Professor Snape about Potter’s stalking and he has agreed to keep an eye out for both of the idiot Gryffindors. They are going to be permanently assigned detention with Professor Snape and I am placing bets that all those detentions will go well into his 7th year! _

Harry huffed in annoyance. Sure he was a troublemaker and got into detention quite a lot, but not that much! It annoyed him to no end that what little reputation he had was being destroyed by a poor imitation of him. 

_ I’ve got the entire year planned for how to mess with Potter’s little group! You know what I was supposed to do originally, so I’m just going to pretend I still have to go through with it. I imagine I’d end up being a right anxious mess, flinching at the shadows, looking over my shoulder constantly, trying to be sneaky, rubbing at my left arm,, all of that. It’s going to be so much fun! _

_ Don’t worry about me getting into trouble though! I’m a Slytherin and I know how to take care of myself. When I’m around anyone of importance I’ll act as I normally do. None of the staff here will see anything wrong and will just assume Potter and his gang are imagining things.  _

_ On that note, Professor Snape has agreed to give me extra lessons in both Defense and Potions. He believes with a little extra work and focus I could easily get a mastery in both by the time I’m in my mid 20’s! It’ll be hard work, but I’m determined to do well and prove to everyone I’m more than just a pretty face relying on my father’s name. Don’t deny that you think that too! _

Harry snorted and shook his head. At least Draco knew what people thought of him and wasn’t completely ignorant. 

_ I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough for all your help Hassis. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I would have figured out what to do with my life and this year would have been a nightmare. Because I am a man of honor and I will not allow the Malfoy name to be besmirched, I will grant you one favor as thanks for helping me this summer.  _

_ I hope you aren’t too bored at home and that you are being treated well. Expect my next letter by the end of next week and I should hope that you write back soon.  _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Draco Malfoy _

Again Harry snorted at the horribly elaborate signature that took up a good fifth of the last parchment page. The pompous prat had even stamped what looked like the Malfoy coat of arms under his name. 

Harry was about to set the letter aside when he noticed a hastily scribbled line at the bottom of the parchment. 

_ A Ravenclaw 5th year came up to me and asked me to pass on a note to you. I checked it over and found no charms on it, but the contents have left me worried about how much she knows. I informed Professor Snape of the note, but he said it would be up to you to decide what to do.  _

There was only one 5th year Ravenclaw that Harry knew that always seemed to have knowledge that she really shouldn’t have, and Harry felt a little thrill of hope that Luna had sent him any sort of missive. Hedwig had told him that Luna had tried to send letters, but the ones from Luna were the ones that would vanish before Hedwig could deliver them. 

_ Hello Hassis!  _

_ I am sorry about how this summer went for you, but with how infested the world seems to be with wrackspurts and nargles I really shouldn’t be surprised that things happened the way they did. Your old friends are just covered with them and I swear the nargles are breeding.  _

_ The thestrals all say hello and they wish you luck with your relationship. For creatures associated with death they are such romance gossips.  _

_ If you feel up to it, Neville and I would love to come visit you during the winter holidays. He’s quite worried about you even though I told him that you have found a very nice nest to settle down in. He doesn’t seem to believe me when I tell him that you’re living in a very nice wrackspurt free home, especially since Gryffindor is so very full of nargles.  _

_ Anyway! Congratulations on your inheritance, I’m sure you are very stunning. Try using some nice unscented body oil once a week, it’ll keep the scale mites away. I hear they are very uncomfortable.  _

_ I’m pretty sure there are Shadow Weevils watching me so if you send me a letter, send it to Heir Malfoy first. He’ll get it to me eventually.  _

_ Don’t get too upset with your protector, he’s trying his best.  _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Luna _

Harry had to reread the note quite a few times in order to fully understand what Luna had written him. Somehow she knew about his inheritance and about where he was, which really didn’t surprise him since Luna was just that kind of person. She just knew things before anyone told her.

Knowing that Luna was still his friend, that she was happy for him and that she didn’t judge him for his inheritance, made something inside of Harry relax. After being betrayed by Ron and Hermoine, as well as others from the Order that he had considered to be close to, Harry had been afraid that all of his friends had or would turn against him. 

He and Luna hadn’t been especially close, since they had only really gotten to know each other during the previous year, but after the ministry debacle he had considered Luna to be someone he could rely on and trust. 

Now that he knew that she was still that person, Harry felt relieved. If she was still on his side, it gave him hope that others would still support him as well. 

“ _ What do the pages say, my Hassis?”  _

By the time Harry had finished reading both Draco’s letter and Luna’s note, Hassaria had woken up and had uncurled from her pillow nest on Harry’s bed. 

“ _ Draco is just telling me about the first week of Hogwarts and...and my friend Luna…” _ Harry was grinning like an idiot as he glanced at the ridiculously worded letter. “ _ She’s still my friend!”  _

His snake mum made happy cooing sounds which only had Harry’s smile growing bigger. She didn’t understand completely what it meant for Harry to still have one of his old friends, but she was happy because he was happy. 

At Hassaria’s insistence, Harry reread the letters out loud to Hassaria. He would have to stop now and then to keep from laughing whenever she would make a really interesting comment about whatever Draco had to say. When it came to Luna’s letter, Harry had no idea how to describe nargles or wrackspurts when Hassaria asked him what sorts of creatures they were. 

“ _ So this Luna girl knows you are a Blessed one?”  _

_ “I think so. She mentioned my inheritance so, yeah.”  _ At least that’s what Harry thought Luna meant when she gave him her congratulations. The whole ‘scale mites’ was also a big hint that she knew about what he had become.

“ _ She also knows that you are here with the older Blessed one.”  _

_ “Well, she called him my protector so I guess so.”  _ It wasn’t like Luna could outright say ‘Voldemort’ in her letter, just in case someone intercepted it. In fact, all the mentions of nargles and wrackspurts would probably make anyone other than himself confused as to what she was talking about. 

“ _ And she wishes to see you in the winter?”  _

_ “Her and Neville.”  _

_ “Your other good friend?”  _

Harry chuckled softly. His mum had taken to calling Ron and Hermoine his ‘bad friends’ whenever they were mentioned. She would hiss and insult them under her breath, which Harry found strangely comforting. 

“ _ I think he is. He’s worried about me, but he doesn’t know that the me at school is fake. I...I want to write to him, to tell him the truth, but I’m worried.”  _ Harry chewed on his bottom lip. “ _ I can’t write it all down to tell him, because what if someone else gets my letter and uses it to hunt me down? I don’t think he’ll believe Draco if I ask him to talk to Neville, and I know Neville would definitely not trust Snape.”  _

Harry really was stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to Neville. He wanted to tell his friend everything, but he knew that it would be a huge risk. Luna made it sound like Neville would accept things, but could Harry be sure about that? It was one thing to ask Neville to accept that Harry had turned into a dark creature, but to ask him to accept that Harry was under Voldemort’s protection? 

If anyone had the right to be angry with the Dark faction, it was Neville. Bellatrix, the two Lestrange brothers, and Crouch Jr. had tortured Neville’s parents to insanity. His parents may be alive, but they weren’t at all living fulfilling lives. Neville was pretty much an orphan, just like Harry was. 

How could Harry ask Neville to come to terms with how Harry’s life had turned out? He himself could barely do so, and that was only because of his instincts and knowing the truth about what the Dark faction was really trying to do. Perhaps if he told Neville about everything he had learned in the last couple months? 

It wasn’t like he was asking Neville to forgive Bellatrix. Harry couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as the woman and barely tolerated her because Voldemort asked him to. If Harry were allowed to, he’d sink his fangs right into the woman’s neck and inject her with as much venom as he could. It was the least he could do to avenge Sirius!

“ _ Human emotions are difficult to understand.”  _ Hassaria said slowly when her son fell silent. “ _ This Neville sounds like a good person, and I believe he will continue to be your friend when he learns the truth. He will need time, just as you do when you learn new things.”  _

His mum was right, the best thing Harry could do would be to give Neville space after telling him the truth and let him have as much time as he needed. If their situations were reversed, Harry knew he would need time to come to terms with Neville’s new lot in life. 

That still led Harry back to his original problem of  _ how  _ to tell Neville about what had happened. He couldn’t write things down and Neville wouldn’t trust either Draco or Snape. If Harry could switch back to his legs, he would go during a Hogsmeade weekend and find a way to meet up with Neville secretly. 

Although, if he could somehow get Neville out of Hogsmeade and to the manor then Harry would be able to talk to him for a few hours before sending Neville back to the little town. It was something to ask Voldemort about later. 

“ _ Are you finished with those letters?”  _ Hassaria waited until her son had set the letters aside and nodded. “ _ You need to eat. Would you rather do so here or go down to the big table to join the other Blessed one?”  _

It would probably be a good idea to have breakfast with Voldemort and the Malfoy’s. Harry had skipped doing so yesterday and had chosen to have dinner by himself in his rooms, so the only meal he’d shared with anyone had been lunch. He really did need to try to be a bit more social, otherwise he might as well go mental from being alone so often. 

Decision made, Harry got up out of bed and took a quick shower. Once he felt refreshed and clean, he pulled on a simple short sleeved silver shirt made of the Arachniad silk. Harry hadn’t realized just how rough his borrowed shirts had been until he had started wearing the Arachniad silk. It was like wearing nothing at all and yet he stayed comfortably warm even during cool days. 

“ _ Alright, I’m ready.”  _ Harry grumbled as he put on his new belt around his hips and slipped his wand into the attached holster. It was so nice to have his wand on him again after so long. He’d been leaving it in his rooms since the only thing he had to carry it in before had been his bag, and he didn’t want to carry around his bag when the only thing in it would be his wand. 

Hassaria chuckled as she was lifted up and draped around Harry’s shoulders. “ _ You sound so put out, Hassis. One would think there is someone you do not wish to see.”  _

Harry groaned and he wrinkled his nose in a frown. His mother was teasing him and he knew it, but he had no retort for her. Instead he scooped up a still sleeping Lash and left his rooms, his mother chuckling the whole time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Here's the thing. 
> 
> There will not be an update next Monday. I'll be out of town with my husband for Thanksgiving vacation, which means I won't have my computer with me. I might be able to post something on Friday the 27th, if I'm not totally dead from the trip. 
> 
> So the next guaranteed post will be Monday the 30th of November. 
> 
> Next time: Harry has breakfast with Voldemort and the Malfoys and they have a chat about Harry's private tutoring (which he is not looking forward to). Then they find out that they have a surprise visitor from far far away.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry joins Voldemort and the Malfoy's for breakfast. Much to his annoyance, they talk about his future tutoring and lessons. As breakfast finishes up, they find out that Voldemort and Harry have visitors from the Greek naga tribe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a tad late tonight! Our heater/furnace thing broke while we were away and the repair guy came yesterday to try and fix it. It still didn't work. He came today and finally got it working. Yay for not freezing!
> 
> I'm also really sorry for not responding to comments! I'm not working anymore so I'll be able to reply more often now. 
> 
> Also, vacation went well! My husband and I had a nice relaxing time with a couple friends and we got home safely. Neither of us are showing any signs of being sick (other than a cold from the extreme temperature shift), but we are self quarantining for the next 12 to 14 days.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 31

As Harry had expected, Voldemort and the two Malfoy’s were already seated at the breakfast table when he arrived. He did wonder where all the other Death Eaters ate since he knew there were quite a few staying in the manor, but he really didn’t see a reason to ask.

When Voldemort spotted Harry coming in, the man’s face lit up for a moment before he got himself under control and limited himself to a small upturn of his lips. Narcissa gave her typical warm smile while Lucius simply nodded in acknowledgement of the young naga’s arrival. 

Seeing at least two of the three people at the table happy to see him had Harry feeling warm. Even at the Burrow, when he was staying with them, he had never really felt a difference whenever he joined the Weasley family at the table. Whenever he would walk into a room to either spend time with someone or to join a meal, he felt like he was just another mouth to feed and not anyone special. 

As much as he hated being the center of attention, sometimes even Harry wanted to feel special.

As was typical for a simple breakfast, if you called a veritable buffet normal, the meal went quietly with only a few comfortable comments here and there and the shuffling of the morning paper from Voldemort and Lucius. After a few minutes of eating, Nagini invited Lash and Hassaria to join her out in the gardens and the three snakes left together, but not before Hassaria rubbed her snout along Harry’s cheeks a few times and cooed at him. 

“I was thinking that perhaps we could discuss Lord Hassis’ tutoring sessions now that he has had a couple weeks to relax and become accustomed to his new living arrangements.” Narcissa piped up after dabbing her napkin against her lips. Most of the four at the table had finished eating by that point anyway. 

Harry had to hold himself back from groaning. He knew it was important for him to continue his education, especially since Voldemort had made it seem like he was actually way farther behind than he had first thought, but the teenager part of him that hated studying had been enjoying his school free time. 

“Severus has agreed to come by on the weekends to  _ properly _ instruct Hassis in potions and defense. I’ll be joining him for the Defense lessons as well as working with Hassis during the week on Magical Theory.” 

When had that been decided? Harry didn’t hate his old potions professor nearly as much as he used to, not after learning that the man had mostly been acting, but he still didn’t want to spend his weekends with him! 

“I was thinking Lord Hassis will need etiquette lessons as well as instructions in wizarding society and politics.” Narcissa smiled at Harry pleasantly enough, but to him it looked like she was actually excited at the idea of torturing him so. “I thought that perhaps I could work with him in those areas as well as charms.” 

“Once Lord Hassis has a basic understanding of wizarding politics, I’ll take over and instruct him on law and the wizengamot.” Lucius piped up, surprising Harry as he hadn’t expected the Malfoy Lord to even consider helping him. 

Learning law also sounded like an incredibly dull topic and Harry was not looking forward to it at all. Still, he didn’t think he would be getting out of it seeing as how Voldemort looked to be satisfied with the plan. 

“Are you interested in Runes or Arithmancy at all?” 

Harry jerked out of his thoughts of how boring learning law sounded to glance over at Voldemort when he was asked the question. “I guess? I never really thought about them before.” He knew Hermoine had taken both subjects, but she had always been so secretive and protective of her homework for both classes. He had been curious once, back in third year when they had first started their electives, but she had always hidden away her work and books whenever he had asked about them. 

Back then he had thought she’d just been trying to keep her time turner a secret, but now that he thought back to their entire third year, her actions had been a lot more puzzling than they had seemed back then. Hermoine would talk about her other classes to a point, but as soon as either he or Ron asked questions she would deflect and berate them for not choosing those subjects in the first place. 

“Would you be adverse to the Lestrange brothers tutoring you in those subjects?” Voldemort seemed hesitant when he asked. 

Harry didn’t know the Lestrange brothers all that much, aside from the fact that the eldest of the two was married to Bellatrix and that they had tortured Neville’s parents into insanity. He knew they had been in Azkaban and that Voldemort had broken them out, but otherwise he didn’t know much else. 

“It will just be Rodolphus and Rabastan, I will not allow Bellatrix to be present during your lessons.” Voldemort added quickly when Harry hesitated for quite some time. “I promise you they are much more controlled than Bellatrix is, and they will be very respectful of you and your lessons.”

“I guess we could have a couple lessons?” The least Harry could do was give the two men a chance, but if they didn’t get along he was sure he could go to Voldemort and ask for different teachers. 

Seeing that Harry was willing to at least try to work with the two brothers was the best Voldemort could ask for. 

Honestly Voldemort was in a bit of a bind trying to find people who could tutor Harry that he trusted to respect the teenager as well as teach him adequately. He couldn’t ask just any of his followers to do such an important task, especially if any of them happened to be spies, so that meant he had to rely on either inner circle members or those of his followers that would be willing to take an unbreakable vow. 

Yes Harry’s identity was a secret, but was Voldemort really willing to risk someone figuring out just who Harry was and going to the enemy with that information? No.

So even with the vow, Voldemort would not trust one of his random lower level followers to teach the boy. 

“Rabastan will work with you for Runes and History while Rodolphus will work with you on Arithmancy and Transfiguration.” Two subjects each would ensure that Harry received a well rounded education while not putting too much of a workload on the two men. 

“Why do I have to go through all of this?” Harry grumbled petulantly. Some of the subjects he could understand, like charms and defense, but history? Etiquette? He could live without either. 

Honestly Voldemort should have expected such a question from Harry. The boy was a teenager and his schooling experience had been very subpar and chaotic. He also knew very little of the magical world and what pureblood society was really like. Voldemort shouldn’t have been surprised that Harry would dislike the idea of continuing his education.

“You deserve an education just as much as any other witch or wizard.” Voldemort told the younger naga even though it was obvious that Harry wanted to argue. “You may not be attending Hogwarts anymore, but that doesn’t mean your options have become limited. You won’t always be stuck in your naga form which means you will eventually be able to return to the magical world.

When that happens, you will be able to do just about anything you want. You can have your own career, start a business, or if you would rather live as an aristocrat, you can. To do any of that though, you will need some sort of education.” 

Voldemort’s argument was valid, and Harry was grudgingly willing to accept it. He might not agree that things like etiquette and politics were needed, but for now he would put up with them. 

“Before you turn 18, I will have Lucius arrange for you to take your NEWTS as a homeschooled student.” Hopefully by then the Dark faction would have taken complete control of the ministry so it wouldn’t be difficult to arrange for Harry’s testing. 

If worse came to worse, Voldemort would arrange for Harry to take his NEWTS in another country. 

Realization dawned on Harry then and he slouched down in his seat. “I don’t even know what I got on my OWL’s.” The letter that he should have gotten with his test results had never arrived after his uncle had dropped him off in the middle of the forest. Other than the few letters he’d gotten towards the end of his stay in the forest, he hadn’t received anything. 

Voldemort’s pale lips pursed and he glanced at Lucius. The Malfoy Lord had been informed of Harry's true name in the last week, seeing as how he was one of the few people that Voldemort trusted enough to help him with Harry. 

Lucius cleared his throat at the pointed stare his Lord was giving him. “As a member of the Board of Education, I should be able to get your OWL results without garnering any attention.” A few galleons slipped into a few pockets would ensure that no one would know he had gone looking. 

In fact, he might not even need to bribe anyone at all. With how badly the golem of Potter was currently doing at Hogwarts, he might be able to propose an investigation into the boy’s records to see just why there was such a huge discrepancy in his academic performance. 

But by doing it that way it was possible that an investigation would result in Potter losing his current OWL scores. So doing that might inhibit Potter if the boy ever decided to be reintroduced into the magical world as himself instead of as an alternate persona. Then again, if Potter didn’t like his OWL results then he could redo them as his new persona after being tutored for awhile.

For now Lucius would keep the idea in the back of his mind and speak to his Lord in private about the possible plan. Who knew, maybe doing an investigation might harm Dumbledore in the long run without damaging Potter’s reputation. 

“Do so quickly Lucius. Having his test results will allow us to figure out what areas of study Hassis needs to focus on.” Voldemort turned back to Harry then. “Myself and the others that will be working with you will also be taking turns teaching you proper dueling techniques.” 

Now that was a great idea to Harry! After the disaster of second year and having tried to teach dueling himself the previous year, Harry had really gotten interested in it. He’d read so many books from the Hogwarts library, anything and everything about dueling, and had even talked to Sirius about dueling back during winter break last year. 

Voldemort cleared his throat and waited until he had Harry’s full attention. “I would also like to teach you about the Dark Arts.” The face he received from Harry, the disgusted scrunching up of his nose and the deep frown, had Voldemort chuckling softly. “It’s not all death and torture spells Hassis. Some of the best healing spells are considered ‘Dark’.” 

“I don’t want to become dark though.” Harry informed everyone at the table. He knew the Malfoy’s were both Dark aligned and that Voldemort was very dark, being the ‘Dark Lord’ and all, but that didn’t mean he himself wanted to learn dark spells and become dark. Both Narcissa and the naga book had been adamant about how the naga race was actually grey aligned, a balance between dark and light, so why did he need to learn dark spells? 

He knew, logically, that dark magic wasn’t all bad just as light magic wasn’t all good, but that still didn’t give him a real reason to learn dark magic. 

“Learning dark magic will not turn you dark, Hassis.” Narcissa said softly before either her husband or Voldemort could go into a long winded lecture about how brainwashed the current generation was. “It’s about balance. As a grey aligned being, your core needs to find a magical balance between light and dark. Up until now you’ve used so much light magic that your core has become unstable, which is typical for teenagers that attend Hogwarts.” She added quickly to stop either of the older men from ranting. 

“It’s also about using the best spell for a situation. Light magic is great for quick, short term solutions, but if you ever need something that lasts longer and has more power you’ll need to use a dark spell.” Narcissa was so used to explaining things to Harry that she didn’t even stutter at trying to find the right words to use for him. 

“Did you know that most transfiguration is actually dark magic?” Narcissa asked with a small knowing smile. 

That little fact surprised Harry and it must have shown on his face as both Voldemort and Lucius chuckled. 

Narcissa nodded and continued. “The ministry labels most transfiguration as ‘light’ magic since it’s used so much in day to day life. In reality though, transfiguration is dark as it can change living creatures into inanimate objects and, if done correctly, can become permanent.” She chose to take a sip of her tea in that moment to allow Harry a minute or two to process what she had just told him. 

“Charms on the other hand are primarily light magic as they do not typically change or have long term effects on living creatures and are very limited in how long they last.” 

“If…If that’s all true then why don’t they talk about this sort of thing at Hogwarts?” Harry asked hesitantly, already thinking of the answer even as he asked the question. 

Voldemort sneered as he spoke up before the others. “It is because of Dumbledore. He fights so hard against the Dark faction that he tries to push his ‘black and white’ view onto everyone. It was different when I was in school and Dippet was the Headmaster.” He remembered how instead of focusing almost exclusively on ‘light’ magic, other forms of magic were taught as well. 

“That is why I will be working with you on Magical Theory. I’ll be teaching you about the different types of magic as well as when one type is more useful than another.”

There were so many things that Voldemort wanted to teach Harry, and he had already created a lesson plan for the coming year in the hopes that the younger naga would agree to all of the classes that he wanted Harry to have. 

Before more could be discussed over Harry’s possible education, there was a soft pop to the side of the breakfast table. 

“Master Dark Lord sir,” Tippsy, Voldemort’s personal elf, had popped in and she was bowing rather low. “There be’s a visitor at the front gate insisting to see you. He be’s saying that you wrote to his tribe and that he came as quickly as he could.” 

There were quite a few people that Voldemort had written to over the last few months, but most of them had permission to enter the Malfoy wards. There was only one ‘tribe’ that he had written to though and he really should have expected this to happen. 

Voldemort had been hoping for the naga tribe to send a letter, but honestly it wasn’t much of a surprise that they had sent an actual person to meet with him. All the naga tribes were always so nosy whenever a newly inherited naga turned up. If it weren’t for the fact that Harry needed intense long term healing, he would have kept the young submissive’s presence a secret for as long as possible. 

With a deep and irritated sigh, Voldemort stood up. He had spent decades avoiding the naga tribes and their many offers to adopt him into their prestigious families. Possibly the only benefit he’d had being a wraith was that he hadn’t had to deal with their constant invitations. Now he would have to willingly interact with them again and he hated that it was necessary. 

He hated that it would become worse as soon as it got out that the newly inherited naga he had with him was a submissive, and Voldemort knew it. 

“Invite him in and take him straight to my study. Inform him that I will be with him shortly along with the young inherited naga I wrote to his tribe about.” With his instructions done, his elf popped away and Voldemort was left standing at the table with the Malfoy’s and Harry looking at him. 

“Lucius, Narcissa, thank you for the breakfast. I will speak with you both later about the schedule for Hassis’s tutoring.” Voldemort nodded to both of them before turning to Harry. “We have a few minutes before our visitor makes it to my study and there are a few things you need to know.”

“Would you like us to give you the room, my Lord?” Lucius asked as he and his wife stood up as well. 

Voldemort had planned on just taking Harry to a side room and throwing up a few privacy charms to speak with Harry, but that would take away precious time so having Lucius and Narcissa leaving instead would be best. He had barely nodded before both the Malfoy’s were standing and leaving. 

“How far have you read into naga etiquette?” He asked the younger naga, getting straight to the point. Oh how Voldemort wished the naga tribe had simply sent a letter instead of an actual person! 

Seeing the sheepish shrug of Harry’s shoulders told Voldemort that the boy hadn’t gotten that far into his reading yet. Really Voldemort should have expected Harry to avoid reading, especially if he had gotten the same headaches and had the same aversions to reading as Voldemort himself had had while growing up. Unlike Harry though, Voldemort had known that knowledge was power and he forced himself to push through the irritation.

“Before we go and speak with the tribe representative, there are a few things you will need to know.” 

“Why can’t you talk to them by yourself?” Harry asked quickly. With how anxious the Dark Lord was suddenly, Harry really didn’t want to even attempt to meet another naga. What if the person was another dominant and he got all touchy feely with Harry? The book had been very explicit about how nagas were a physical race and Harry had been greatly relieved that Voldemort had been mostly respectful of Harry’s need for space. He really didn’t want to deal with some random guy grabbing at him and trying to court him after just meeting. 

“If I could, I would.” Voldemort sighed through his nose and shook his head. “As it is, whoever it is that has come will want to meet with you. I had to inform them in my letter that you had been injured previously and that my personal healer had given you an exam that revealed the need for long term healing. They will want to see you to ensure that it is not I who has abused you.” 

Those last words were accompanied with an angry hiss, but Voldemort did understand the logic of it all. Harry was a brand new submissive naga and that meant fresh strong blood for the old family lines. Even if Harry had been a dominant the tribes still would be extremely interested in him and his well being. Add to the fact that he was Voldemort, the Dark Lord, and it wasn’t a surprise that the tribe didn’t fully trust him to take care of a young newly inherited naga. 

Voldemort sucked in a deep breath to steady his nerves and to calm his anger at having a strange unknown naga in his territory. “If the visitor is an unmated dominant, he will most likely attempt to woo you while fulfilling his role as the tribe representative.” With how powerful Harry was it wouldn’t surprise Voldemort if every unmated dominant the boy came across would instantly want him. “If he tries anything that makes you uncomfortable, you will need to tell him so immediately. As your protector I will enforce any decision that you make regarding any unknown unmated dominant.” 

“But you’re trying to court me too.” 

Harry’s words and the blush on his cheeks had Voldemort smirking possessively. The boy had yet to make a decision on whether or not he wanted to be courted by the older naga, but Voldemort hadn’t given up yet. He had backed off, giving Harry space and time to work through his instincts, but until Harry said yes or no, Voldemort would continue to give his little gifts. 

“Since you have not made a decision in regards to my offer, we do not have to inform them that the offer has been made. If you do not want them to know, then I will only introduce myself as your protector and guardian.” In this case, Harry not making a decision was actually beneficial to them. If Harry had said yes, then the newcomers would have had to be informed and who knew what the strange naga would do!

“If you do not want him touching you, stay by my side and defer to me before answering any questions that you are not comfortable with.” It would help to reinforce Voldemort’s position as Harry’s protector and show the stranger that the two of them had a level of trust in each other. 

“If the stranger is a mated dominant, he will obviously not try to woo you immediately. Some dominants like to have multiple mates, but with how few in number submissives are, dominants are highly encouraged to only seek out one mate.” Voldemort explained quickly. “This stranger will want to take you back to the Greek tribe with him when he leaves.” He swallowed hard and forced himself not to snarl. “It is your choice if you decide you want to go with him, but if you do then I will go with you. I will not allow them to sink their claws into you when you are so new to the naga way of life.”

Voldemort had been a graduated adult when he’d first met with the tribes, and even he’d had trouble navigating the intricacies of the naga tribes. In many ways, nagas were worse than Slytherin’s with their cunning and manipulations. 

“What if the person is a submissive?” Harry asked softly. 

Oh if only the tribe had sent a submissive, especially a mated submissive! It would make working with the representative so much easier for Voldemort. If the person was a submissive though, there would also be a dominant with them; either a family member or a mate. 

Voldemort knew how to handle unmated submissives, he knew how to ignore their attempts to coerce him into starting a courtship and how to ignore their flirting. The offer of a courtship rested solely with the dominant and if the dominant did not want the submissive, they would not ask. 

In all his life, Voldemort had only met two submissives that he had felt any sort of draw towards. The first had been a young man that had already been involved with another courtship and had seemed completely smitten with his courting dominant, and the other was Harry. 

“If it is a submissive, the person will want to smother you with affection and care. It is in a submissive’s nature, especially an older submissive, to be protective and caring towards a younger submissive.” Voldemort bit back a growl at the thought of someone else, anyone else, touching Harry. 

“Just stay next to me if you do not wish to be touched. After I introduce myself as your protector the other naga, submissive or dominant, will look to me for permission to approach you.” It was the easiest way to prevent anyone from getting close to Harry. 

_ “Harry…”  _

Harry jolted and flinched slightly when he felt Voldemort’s hand on his shoulder. He looked up into those crimson eyes, his own wide and giving away just how nervous he felt about this entire thing. He’d only just started to accept his inheritance after having over a month to adjust, and he had only just started to become accustomed to his life in Malfoy Manor. The last thing Harry wanted at that moment was for some stranger to come in and try to take him away before Harry was ready. 

“If you continue to feel uncomfortable around the stranger, you can leave after meeting with him. I made a promise to you that I would protect you and I will do everything in my power to do so.” Voldemort’s eyes were hard and unblinking. Such a look would have scared most normal people, but to Harry it only brought warmth and comfort. 

“Ok…” Harry sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. He could do this. And he didn’t just have Voldemort to protect him, Harry also had his wand with him now so he wasn’t completely defenseless. Since the wards would keep the ministry from detecting underage magic, Harry would be able to stop any danger from reaching him. “Ok.” 

Voldemort’s shoulders relaxed slightly when the younger naga also calmed down. He could tell that Harry was still nervous, but at least the boy wasn’t twitching and fidgeting like he had been. 

“Will I need to bow or something? I’m not very good at it and I’ll probably fall on my face. ” 

The question had Voldemort chuckling softly. “At the moment no. Eventually I will teach you common naga etiquette, but with you being so new to your inheritance and not having met many others of our race, they will not expect you to know any proper greetings.” And thank the Merlin for that small mercy. 

Thankfully the naga race were much better at integrating newcomers into their society, unlike the wizarding world. So unless Harry was blatantly rude and crude in his behavior, the naga from the Greek tribe wouldn’t be insulted by Harry’s lack of understanding. 

“So...all I really need to do is stay close to you?” 

“For the time being.” Voldemort sighed softly then motioned for Harry to rise from the table so that the two of them could head for the study. “Trust in your instincts. If you feel comfortable around our visitor then do not worry about looking to me for assistance.” 

As much as Voldemort hated to admit it, Harry would need to learn more about their kind and interact with them more often than Voldemort himself did. Harry needed the support that a tribe could give, especially if Dumbledore or the ministry turned into immediate dangers. 

The Greek naga tribe, being the largest and most influential in the world, would be able to give Harry protections that he himself could not, and Voldemort was grudgingly willing to accept that fact. The tribe had connections in the ICW and would be able to keep Dumbledore and the British ministry from trying to arrest or capture Harry. And once the tribe knew of Harry’s existence, they would be able to demand to see him regularly if somehow Dumbledore was able to get his hands on the boy. 

In the long run, being on good terms with the naga tribe would be to the benefit of both himself and to Harry. 

“Come. Let’s get this introduction over with.” The sooner they met with the stranger, the sooner Voldemort could convince him to leave and he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else vying for Harry’s attention. 

“Oh! Wait, I forgot!” Harry came to a stop just as they were leaving the dining room. He reached under his shirt and pulled the folded up letters that he had stuck into his belt out. “Draco wrote to me. I also got a letter from Luna that you should probably read.” 

Seeing the handful of parchment in Harry’s hands had Voldemort pausing. He knew how important it was to be kept up to date with what was going on at Hogwarts, so reading the boy’s letter would be useful. Then again, the letters had been meant for Harry so perhaps Voldemort shouldn’t read them? 

It was something to consider later, after they met with the visiting naga. 

“We’ll handle the letters after the meeting.” Even as he said that, Voldemort took the offered pages of parchment and slipped them into an inner pocket of his robes. 

Voldemort took the lead, but he kept his strides even so that Harry would be able to keep up with him. Soon enough they were up the stairs, down the hall, and standing just outside of Voldemort’s study. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter 31 is up! It's just a little itty bitty baby cliff hanger. 
> 
> Chapter 32 will be posted Monday the 7th of December.
> 
> Next time: We meet 2 new naga, Harry gets very annoyed, Voldemort wants to rip someone's head off, and the new naga gets the surprise of a life time.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry meets with 2 new naga and gets a quick checkup from one of them. After a lot of secrecy spells and a vow of silence, Harry's real name is revealed.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 32

Standing just outside of his study had Voldemort feeling cornered and unnerved. He wanted to turn around, grab Harry, and hide them both away from the visiting nagas that were invading his territory. It wasn’t just that he wanted to keep them from Harry, but also because he hated dealing with nagas from the tribes. 

When he’d been young and traveling, he’d been subjected to quite a bit of unwanted attention at the various tribes. Most of the unmated submissives had practically thrown themselves at him and many of the alpha and beta families of the tribes had tried to convince him to be adopted into their families. 

It had been nice at first, being treated like royalty and highly valued, but after a while it had just become too much. He knew the tribes were always after newly inherited nagas, in order to renew the family lines and bring in fresh magical blood, but the attention made him feel more like a piece of meat rather than an actual person. 

And he was a dominant naga, Voldemort didn’t even want to imagine what the tribes would have done had he been a submissive! His eyes drifted over to Harry, who was standing tensely next to him, and he worried about what Harry was about to be subjected to. If he had to, he would place himself between Harry and the naga tribes, but hopefully staying away until Harry knew more about their culture would be enough of a buffer for the young submissive. 

“ _ Remember to stay next to me.”  _ Voldemort murmured so that only Harry would hear him, just in case the visiting nagas were eavesdropping. “ _ If he makes you uncomfortable, let me know.” _

Voldemort only received a small nod from the boy, but the look of determination in his eyes had Voldemort smirking a little. Despite all the things that had happened to Harry this past summer, he still had a strong Gryffindor spirit and he wasn’t about to show weakness in front of strangers. 

With that in mind, Voldemort finally reached out and turned the doorknob to his study. The door swung open and Voldemort confidently strode in, Harry following quickly inside after him only to retake his spot next to the older naga. 

Inside of the study they found not just one naga stranger, but two. Both were standing in the center of the room, and both were in their naga forms with their tails coiled beneath them. The older of the two had a thick, powerful, black tail with a dark cream underbelly. He was wearing a loose, light weight, long sleeve, white shirt that had three colored bands of red, blue, and green around the upper right arm. Around his neck was a long gold chain with a pendant of a snake coiled around a staff marking him as a healer. The man’s hair was cropped short, barely half an inch in length and was a dark brown in color with a couple strands of grey close to his pointed ears. 

The second person was another man, younger, but not much smaller than his companion. His own tail was also black, but instead of a different colored underbelly, his black tail had speckles of light yellow scales all along the long appendage. His dirty blond hair went just past his shoulders, but was pulled back and bound at the nape of his neck, but a few loose strands fell to either side of his face. He was wearing a very similar shirt as his older companion, but instead of the three bands of color he only had a single band of dark grey around his upper right arm. 

Almost as soon as Harry came into the room, both men’s eyes locked onto his gleaming and glittering emerald tail, making him uncomfortable with just how intensely their stares were. He had always hated being stared at and having two very handsome men staring at him like that wasn’t helping matters. 

If it weren’t for the fact that Harry had only met 3 naga men in his life, he would have assumed being a naga made a person naturally beautiful. 

“ _ I, Lord Voldemort, offer greetings and welcome to you.”  _ Harry could hear Voldemort say as he spotted the man bowing out of the corner of his eye. “ _ I had not expected for someone from the Greek tribe to come in person.”  _

It was the older of the two naga that broke his gaze away from Harry to bow in turn to Voldemort. “ _ I, High Healer Anacletus of the tribe  _ _ Paidiá fidioú, do thank you for your greetings and welcome.”  _ The man, Anacletus, came up from his bow and glanced once more at Harry before turning his full attention to Voldemort. 

“ _ After we received your letter, the council believed it would best if I were to come and confirm what you had written.”  _

Harry was glad that the older of the two naga was no longer staring at him, but the younger still hadn’t looked away. He wasn’t starting at Harry’s tail anymore, instead he was staring unblinkingly right into Harry’s eyes. Harry couldn’t seem to be able to look away, and it wasn’t just his instincts that were telling him not to back down. He refused to appear meak in front of these strangers so he kept his head held high and he frowned at the other naga that was annoying him. 

“ _ I understand your need to meet with Hassis in person, but I would have preferred if you had sent notice ahead of you.”  _ Voldemort said, trying to sound as polite as possible even as he felt the desire to rip the younger dominants head off for staring at his submissive. 

And that was exactly what these two new naga were, dominants. 

Harry twitched and glanced at Voldemort as he used the name Hassaria had given him rather than his human name. He was grateful that Voldemort had thought to do that; the last thing he wanted was for the two new naga to have yet another reason to stare at him. 

Anacletus looked a little ashamed and he bowed his head in apology. “ _ Unfortunately the restrictions Britain has on those they consider ‘dark’ makes it difficult to send mail into Britain from the tribe. It was simply faster to get an unregistered portkey rather than sending a letter.” _

Voldemort held back a groan of annoyance. He should have remembered that it would be difficult for the tribe to send a letter to him. Gringotts was great for sending international mail out of Britain, but anything coming in from known dark creatures or beings was heavily monitored, even if it came in through Gringotts. 

With how corrupt the ministry was and how closely Dumbledore was monitoring anything that had to do with Voldemort, it made it difficult to get anything from outside of the UK. There was always the chance that someone, either one of Dumbledore’s people or a ministry worker, would read the mail from the naga tribe and discover that there was a newly inherited naga living in Britain. 

Yes, Voldemort could completely understand why the tribe would choose to send the healer to personally meet with the newly inherited naga rather than send a letter. 

“ _ Please, take a seat.”  _ He gestured towards the long sofa that was in front of the fire and then gently maneuvered Harry towards the high back chair farthest from the younger dominant that was STILL staring at Harry. Voldemort elected to stay standing next to Harry’s seat, his legs shifting to his long white tail. 

Anacletus bowed his head again and, taking the hint from Voldemort, prodded the younger dominant onto the far side of the couch so he could sit between him and Harry. 

_ “Before we begin, I must ask about your relationship with young Hassis here.”  _ Anacletus stated as he waved his hand lightly through the air to gesture between Voldemort and Harry. “ _ You stated in your letter that you had taken on the role as protector and guardian of a young newly inherited naga, but we had assumed the young one to be another dominant. Seeing that young Hassis is actually a submissive, I must be sure that you aren’t using your position as his protector to use him in any sort of manner.”  _

Harry’s cheeks became inflamed at the insinuation that Voldemort and he had a physical relationship, possibly even a sexual one. The healer hadn’t said as such in so many words, but the suggestion was there, hanging in the air around them. 

Voldemort’s back became ramrod straight and he scowled darkly at the greek naga. Sure he had made the offer for courtship, but other than holding Harry a few times he hadn’t done anything physically with the boy. 

“ _ Voldemort hasn’t done anything!”  _ Harry burst out saying, his instincts angry that someone had insulted the dominant that he was interested in. “ _ He’s been very kind to me and has been doing everything he can to make sure I’m safe and healthy.”  _ And Harry was more than willing to admit that he didn’t always make it easy for the older naga. He too scowled at the naga healer, who just smiled patiently at him. 

“ _ That is good to hear, but I must be sure. Inherited nagas are precious to our tribe, submissives even more so. Seeing as how Lord Voldemort has been the only naga you have come across, we want to make sure you are not being mistreated.”  _

Harry’s arms came up to cross over his chest and his claws dug into his upper arms lightly. “ _ I’m not a child, I can take care of myself just fine.”  _ As if he would let Voldemort mistreat him! Harry wouldn’t have even stayed in the first place if he hadn’t been sure that Voldemort had given up trying to kill him.

Again, healer Anacletus smiled indulgently, but at least this time he wasn’t trying to make it sound like Harry was incapable of taking care of himself. 

“ _ I gave my offer of protection to young Hassis and he accepted it.”  _ Pride swelled in Voldemort’s chest when Harry defended him and his instincts made him want to puff out his chest and gloat in front of the younger dominant.  _ He _ was the one that Harry was siding with, not  _ him. _

Voldemort kept his expression neutral and his posture relaxed though. Although the naga from  Paidiá fidioú, the Greek tribe, couldn’t take Harry away they could make things difficult for them. One subtle word to the ministry and Aurors could easily come up with a reason to raid the Malfoy Manor, which would send not only the Death Eaters scattering, but would also force Harry to leave to find a safe place as well. 

And what safer place was there than a tribe full of strong dominant naga more than willing to protect a young unmated submissive? Oh yes, such a tactic to get Harry to the tribe was something Voldemort knew the naga tribe would pull, so long as they could ensure that the young inherited naga would not be compromised. 

“ _ Be that as it may, you are still an unmated dominant and young Hassis is an unmated submissive.”  _ Anacletus’s smile had faded and he was staring sternly at Voldemort. “ _ Lesser dominants with no morals would take advantage of such a situation.” _

_ “You don’t know anything about me or Voldemort!”  _ Harry’s temper flared and he was half out of his seat. “ _ You’re insulting both of us with your accusations! You make it sound like I’m some...some easy slut.”  _ He snarled angrily even as his cheeks heated up from embarrassment. “ _ And stop staring at me like I’m a piece of meat! Who the hell are you?” _

Harry swung around to turn his snarl at the younger naga that had yet to be introduced. He was tired of being talked about like he wasn’t even there and he was especially tired of being stared at. 

The younger dominant that was sitting next to Anacletus opened his mouth to say something, but the older naga quickly grabbed his arm and hissed at him to remain silent. 

“ _ Please forgive me, young Hassis. I meant no disrespect towards yourself or towards your protector. As a healer, and a father, I am always concerned about the wellbeing of a young newly inherited naga.”  _ Anacletus bowed his head deeply and even tilted it to the side slightly to bare his neck to the enraged young submissive. “ _ There have sadly been many cases in the past of unmated dominants forcing themselves onto young submissives, and I feared that might be the case here as well.” _

Some of the rage that Harry felt faded making him huff softly and flop back down into his seat. He felt Voldemort’s hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing, and that helped to calm him down a little more. Something about the way the healer was tilting his head to the side calmed Harry’s instincts as well. 

“ _ As for introductions,”  _ Anacletus turned and waved a hand at the man next to him “ _ this is my apprentice Altair. The letter Lord Voldemort sent to us mentioned that you were male so we assumed you were a young dominant, thus I brought Altair with me.”  _ He winced slightly in shame. “ _ We should not have made assumptions and I am sorry. Had I known you were a submissive, I would have brought one of the submissive healers with me.”  _

Again Harry’s arms came up to cross over his chest to show his annoyance. He did wonder though just how many inherited male naga ended up becoming dominants versus submissives. 

“ _ Now that we have confirmed that Hassis is perfectly safe, perhaps we could get on with things?” _ Honestly Voldemort had been worried about what Harry’s responses would be like after he met the two new dominants. Typically a submissive would become docile and quiet around strang dominants, and with how emotionally overwhelmed Harry had been the past couple weeks, Voldemort had thought Harry would become docile as well. 

Pride didn’t even begin to describe how Voldemort felt as Harry stood up for himself and fought back against the awful accusations. It showed everyone just how strong Harry really was despite being a submissive naga. Despite everything that Harry had gone through in life, there was still a fire inside of him that refused to be smothered.

The downside was that the other unmated dominant in the room now knew just what a good catch Harry was and Voldemort was not at all pleased. Altair was back to staring at Harry, practically devouring the young submissive with his gaze, and all Voldemort wanted to do was tackle the man and beat him into submission. 

“ _ Of course.”  _ Anacletus was sitting up straight once more and was back to his professional demeanor. “ _ In your letter you stated that your personal healer ran a diagnostic exam on young Hassis. I do not doubt your healers competency, but I would like to do my own exam if that would be alright.”  _ He nodded his head to Harry, addressing him at the moment. “ _ Human healers are all well and good, but there are certain things about naga physiology that only naga healers look for.”  _

Harry flinched and he shifted in his seat. He had already been looked over by one healer, why did he have to go through it again? Harry already knew what was wrong with him and Healer Callaway had already come up with a recovery plan for him. Then again, Healer Anacletus was probably right that he might find things that Callaway hadn’t. Having the naga healer give him a look over would probably be the smart thing to do, but Harry couldn’t help but feel hesitant about it. 

“ _ Hassis.”  _

Hearing his name spoken quietly next to him had Harry looking up into the knowing red gaze of Voldemort. 

“ _ I agree with High Healer Anacletus, but it is your decision. Just remember that the compulsions that were on you have ingrained into you a need to avoid medical help. Make your decision logically.” _

Voldemort was right and Harry knew it. Despite the compulsions being gone, it would possibly take him years to get over the long term effects on his mind. He didn’t want to be examined because he feared getting into trouble, but that wasn’t the case here. Harry knew he would be fine and that this wasn’t like when he’d been living at the Dursley’s. There would be no punishment for seeking help. 

“ _ Fine.”  _ Harry was able to finally say through his grinding teeth. He fought the need to get up and leave the room, forcing himself to stay seated instead. Having Voldemort’s hand still on his shoulder helped to keep him anchored. 

“ _ Thank you, young Hassis.”  _ Instead of pulling out a wand, Healer Anacletus pulled out a strange, perfectly round, palm sized, white stone from a hidden pocket on what Harry realized was one of those corset belts that Narcissa had tried to convince Harry to wear. When the low light of the study hit the stone, it seemed to give off an almost ethereal blue glow that radiated out from the center of the stone. 

Anacletus smiled when he noticed the young submissive paying particular attention to the stone in his hand. “ _ Our tribe has very few wizards and witches in it, and our young do not leave the tribe to attend wizarding schools.”  _ The healer explained as he lifted the stone up to better show Harry. “ _ So we are not trained in the usage of wands. Instead we use gemstones such as this moonstone to focus our magic.” _

Harry half expected Anacletus to have to place the stone onto him or something, instead the chanted a couple words while holding the moonstone close to his chest. When the stone started to actually glow blue instead of appearing to glow, the healer waved his hand in Harry’s direction. 

The blue light went straight towards Harry and the young submissive braced himself for something to happen. The light enveloped him for all of a second before fading, but the stone in Anacletus’ hand continued to give off that gentle blue glow. 

“ _ What was that?” _ Harry mumbled as he rubbed his arms and patted at his chest. He didn’t feel any different, but that spell that Anacletus had used was definitely different than the one Healer Callaway had used. 

Anacletus smiled indulgently at Harry’s question. “ _ Gemstones work differently than wands, thus different spells were created to better utilize the power of gemstones.”  _ He explained as he turned his gaze to the still glowing stone. “ _ Naga magic is also more pure in a way. It’s closer to the ancient magic that the Great Mother gifted us with.”  _

Voldemort could see Harry frowning and he sighed softly. “ _ This has nothing to do with blood purity or thinking one is better than another.”  _ He took over the explanations since the healer had gone quiet to analyze the readings from his diagnostic spell. 

“ _ This will be something I will cover during my lessons with you, but to put things simply, magic evolves little by little with each generation born.”  _ It was why there were so many different branches of magic and why different societies used different magical tools. “ _ The magic that naga are able to use hasn’t changed much since the first generations.”  _

“ _ Oh.”  _ Harry said rather blandly. What else could he say to that sort of explanation anyway? Even though he’d attended Hogwarts for years, it was abundantly clear that Harry really had no idea how magic even worked. 

Voldemort smirked slightly at Harry’s response. It would seem that the boy was finally realizing just how subpar Hogwarts really was. 

They were interrupted by Anacletus clearing his throat. The stone in his hand was no longer glowing, but he continued to hold onto it instead of putting it away. 

“ _ For the most part your Healer Callaway was correct in his diagnosis. Young Hassis is extremely malnourished, all of his bones are in a very poor state, his internal organs are damaged from lack of proper nutrition and from almost constant trauma, and there is magical residue from broken compulsions.”  _ Anacletus’ lips were pursed as he spoke and the knuckles of his hand not holding the moonstone were clenched so tightly that they were turning white. “ _ I’ve also found remnants of very dark magic upon young Hassis.” _

Harry sighed sadly as he found all the dominants in the room growing angry at the list of his medical issues. He was pretty sure that if Voldemort ever found out where his relatives were, the Dark Lord would definitely go and torture them into oblivion. A part of Harry was actually curious as to what might happen to the Dursley’s, but for the most part he just wanted to move past that part of his life. 

Even though they had tried their hardest to abuse the magic out of him, they had still given him a roof over his head and food to eat, even if it was rather scarce. They could have ignored the letter Dumbledore had left them and left him at an orphanage. Hell, they could have just tossed him in a river when they’d found him. Harry had been barely over a year old and he would have had zero chance of surviving being thrown into a deep river. 

He just wanted to forget about them and move on with his life. 

“ _ Unlike a wizarding diagnostic spell, a naga diagnostic spell is more in depth and can reveal more about a naga.”  _ Anacletus continued saying. “ _ For example, most naga forms are closely related to actual snakes. My form is that of a black rat snake, Altair is that of a speckled kingsnake.”  _

The younger dominant couldn’t resist puffing up his chest and smirking a bit as he tried to show off without really being able to. It had Harry wrinkling his nose at the young unmated dominant and turning his head away to show his disinterest. Showing off was definitely a turn off for Harry.

“ _ The majority of naga take after non magical snakes, but there are a few that take after magical snakes.”  _ That feeling Harry often got that he was part of that ‘highly improbable’ category came to him and he had to bite back a groan when Anacletus continued. “ _ According to my diagnostic spell, you are supposed to be a basilisk naga, but essence from another creature interfered with your inheritance which caused your brighter coloring.”  _

_ “I thought submissives were usually bright colors.”  _ At least that’s what both Voldemort and the naga book had said. 

Anacletus nodded before pointing at Harry’s tail. “ _ Basilisks are typically black, dark green, or a very dark blue. For a submissive naga their scales take on that dark color, but their scales often glitter or become vibrant in bright lights. Some submissive basilisk naga have been known to grow a plumage as well.”  _ He wandlessly created a little ball of light which caused Harry’s tail to glisten and glitter like normal. “ _ Your scales do have that glittering quality, but they are more of an emerald green rather than a dark forest green that is normally seen.” _

The ball of light was snuffed out and the study was returned to its dim lighting. 

Out of the three dominants in the room, only Voldemort wasn’t looking at him expectantly. Harry knew what they wanted to know, what had happened to him to have caused his strange scale color, but honestly Harry didn’t feel comfortable talking about it with strangers. Maybe if it had just been Anacletus, but Altair just made Harry want to punch his smug looking nose. 

When Harry didn’t offer up any information after a few minutes, Voldemort gently squeezed his shoulder. 

“ _ Hassis? Are you alright?” _

Harry sighed loudly and looked up at Voldemort, who was frowning worriedly down at him. “ _ Yeah. I’m fine. I just...don’t like talking about my second year.”  _ Harry mumbled back. 

Voldemort didn’t know all the details about Harry’s second year, but he did know that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened because of his diary horcrux and that Harry had been forced to fight, and kill, the millennium old Basilisk. He knew that Harry had been bitten by the Basilisk and that Dumbledore’s phoenix had cried its healing tears into the wound. 

“ _ Do you want me to explain?” _ He asked and the look of relief and trust that he was rewarded with had Voldemort’s heart beating a bit faster. Voldemort cleared his throat and then looked back to Anacletus. 

“ _ When Hassis was 12, a couple months before his 13th birthday, he was bitten by a thousand year old Basilisk.”  _ The dual gasps of shock from the visiting dominant nagas were not unexpected. “ _ Moments after that, a phoenix cried into the wound.”  _

It was the barest and simplest version of the story that Voldemort could tell and he would definitely not be elaborating. It was Harry’s story to tell and the young submissive did not seem to want to share it. 

“ _ Well!” _ The High Healer of Paidiá fidioú seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment. “ _ That would perhaps account for you taking on the basilisk form, but it would not fully explain the changed scale color.”  _ Anacletus frowned deeply in thought. “ _ Were there other major injuries or were you exposed to high levels of potent magic?”  _

Both Harry and Voldemort groaned softly as they both remembered just how often Harry had been injured during his life. 

“ _ I think before we reveal anything more, I will need a vow of secrecy from both you and your apprentice.”  _ Voldemort said with an irritated sigh. 

If it weren’t for the fact that they needed Anacletus and his very unique help in healing Harry, Voldemort would have preferred to have stayed silent. As it was, they would need to tell him everything about Harry, and the fact that he was Harry Potter, just to make sure the healer had all the information he could possibly need. 

“ _ I’d rather your apprentice leave the room for this.”  _ Harry said bluntly, his eyes narrowed and his lips a fine line of annoyance as he looked at the unmated dominant. Even with a magical vow, Harry just knew that the blond dominant naga would use the fact that he was ‘Harry Potter’ as some sort of advantage, or that he would become even more determined to try and get close to him. 

If he were to ever choose a mate that wasn’t Voldemort, Harry wanted it to be because that person loved him for him and not because of his name and reputation. 

“ _ If his removed presence will make you more comfortable, then so be it.”  _ Anacletus motioned sharply for Altair to stand and leave. When his apprentice didn’t at first obey, Anacletus hissed at him. That seemed to get Altair’s attention, which had never left Harry. 

Slowly and reluctantly, Altair stood and slithered through the study towards the door. He had tried to move closer to Harry as he left, but Voldemort was quick to stand in the way and force the younger dominant to swerve around him. 

The moment Altair was out of the room, Voldemort threw up every silencing, secrecy, privacy, and protection ward in his repertoire. He would not take any risk that someone outside of the room would hear what would be discussed next. 

“ _ Your vow.”  _ Voldemort said once he was done warding his study. 

Anacletus quickly gave his vow of secrecy, swearing to not reveal anything that he would learn in the room from that point forward until the meeting had concluded. Voldemort made sure that there would be no loop hole in the vow and that the healer would only be able to share Harry’s true identity if it was a medical emergency or if Voldemort or Harry gave him permission to do so. 

With the wards up and the vow made, both Voldemort and Harry felt a little more at ease. 

“ _ A great many things have happened to Hassis throughout his life.”  _ Harry winced when Voldemort said those words. He hated how the compulsions he had been under had prevented him from realizing just how dangerous his life had been when it really shouldn’t have been. 

“ _ A few months after he turned a year old, Hassis was subjected to one of the most potent dark curses the wizarding world knows.”  _ Voldemort paused and glanced at Harry to make sure he still had permission to do the explaining. At Harry’s nod, Voldemort continued. “ _ I’m sure you know the story, the entire magical world was made aware of the fact that the first person in history had somehow survived the killing curse.”  _

It took a minute or two before shock registered on Anacletus’ face. His mouth fell open and his eyes became huge. He gaped at Harry and then at Voldemort only to look back to Harry. 

After what felt like eternity, Anacletus closed his mouth with a loud click of his teeth, but his eyes continued to stay wide open. Harry watched as the man swallowed hard several times before finally clearing his throat. 

“ _ I have met many newly inherited naga in my life from all walks of life. There have been quite a few surprise inheritances in family lines that no one had ever thought to be related to the serpentine races.”  _ Anacletus whispered hoarsely. “ _ But never in my wildest imagination would I have ever thought that Harry Potter would have the serpent blood of the Great Mother.” _

The healer fell silent then as he tried to work out what to say next. It was obvious he was still in shock, but at least he wasn’t making a huge scene about finding out Harry’s real identity. 

At least Harry had been able to get the man’s apprentice out of the room. He didn’t even want to think about how the young unmated dominant would have reacted to the news that he was the Harry Potter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week, these last couple weeks, have felt like they've been dragging. I feel so exhausted all the time so I haven't really gotten much written. Thank goodness for my buffer chapters. And no, Altair is NOT Harry's new love interest. He's a jerk that will make an appearance later on that helps Harry to MEET his possible new love interest. :D
> 
> Also! Check out the awesome fanart made by help-me-im-in-the-fandom that's pinned on my tumblr!
> 
> Anyway, here's chapter 32. Next chapter will be posted Monday the 14th of December. 
> 
> Next time: Harry ends up telling Anacletus all about his first couple years at Hogwarts.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the healers request, Harry and Voldemort discuss the first two years of Harry's schooling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you read, I need to say something. 
> 
> The people who follow me on Tumblr already know, but someone on wattpad stole SSST and translated the first chapter without my permission. I was notified by another person who found the story on wattpad, and I thank them for that. Since then I have told the person to take down my story and I had reported the stolen story to wattpad as well. SSST has since been taken down as well as other stolen stories. 
> 
> So let me make this very clear. DO NOT post my story to other sites and DO NOT translate my story without my express permission. There's not much I can do about privately sent PDF's, but I do ask that you don't do that either. I've said as much in my tags, but I'll be saying this again several times. I've put a great many hours into SSST and it's very disheartening when people do things like this. 
> 
> That said, if you ASK me if you can translate my stories, I am very likely to say yes with a few stipulations. I don't care if you think you're showing me support or showing your love for my story by posting my story elsewhere without my permission, I don't want it done.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 33

Anacletus took a few minutes to collect himself after learning the truth of who Harry really was. Harry watched warily as the man seemed to be coming to quite a few revelations and realizations. It would make sense that the High Healer would be able to figure out a few things on his own, after all, it wasn’t exactly a secret that Harry had been exposed to quite a few instances of dark magic and dangerous creatures. 

“ _ It would be best if we started at the very beginning.”  _ Anacletus said with a heavy sigh. He glanced around for something to write on and was more than pleased when the Dark Lord handed him a roll of parchment and a self inking quill. 

“ _ Of course.”  _ Voldemort squeezed Harry’s shoulder gently as if to apologize. “ _ I don’t know about anything that may have happened before that Halloween night, but I can at least explain what had happened from there as a starting point.” _

Harry sucked in a breath and he looked down at his lap. Other than when the dementors would force him to remember what had happened to his parents, Harry really tried to avoid thinking about their deaths. 

“ _ I used the killing curse three times that night.”  _ Voldemort kept any sort of inflection out of his voice as he recounted what had happened when Harry had been a toddler. “ _ Two were performed in the same room as Harry. The one that I attempted to use on Harry himself seemed to hit him in the head before suddenly rebounding and hitting my own body.”  _

As Voldemort spoke, Anacletus was making notes on the parchment that had been provided to him. “ _ Do you know if the curse made contact with him?” _

_ “From the angle I was standing at, it appeared to have made contact.”  _ Voldemort winced as he remembered that momentary feeling of victory he had felt when the toddler had been enveloped in that green light only for it to be propelled right back at him. “ _ I don’t know what happened after I was hit with my own spell.” _

As much as Anacletus felt the need to check over Voldemort as he had with Harry, he held himself back. He needed to keep his focus on the young submissive and on learning everything that he could about his medical history. If the boy had been anyone other than the ‘Harry Potter’, he wouldn’t have been as worried about him having strangely colored scales, but seeing that it was the boy-who-lived, Anacletus thought it prudent to know everything. 

“ _ For the next ten years I was living exclusively with muggles.”  _ Harry piped up once Voldemort had gone quiet. “ _ You saw the medical scan...most of the problems are from growing up with my relatives.”  _

_ “Which you and I will have a discussion about soon.”  _ Voldemort whispered into Harry’s ear so that Anacletus wouldn’t be privy to it. 

Harry hissed every so softly and he sent a glare at the man that had bent over just to speak softly to him. As much as he hated the Dursley’s, he didn’t really want anything to happen to them. They weren’t a part of his life any more and he just wanted to forget all about them. 

“ _ Anyway.”  _ Harry huffed and chose to ignore Voldemort for the moment. “ _ When I was 11, my first year at Hogwarts, I was exposed to an idiot Dark Lord possessing the back of my Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor’s head.”  _

_ “He willingly agreed to the possession.”  _ The way Voldemort grumbled that part had Harry fighting back the urge to giggle. 

“ _ I had a lot of headaches during my DADA classes. I didn’t know it at first, but it was because of a connection between me and Voldemort.”  _ Harry idly waved a finger back and forth between him and Voldemort. “ _ Whenever he’s a grouchy sourpuss, my scar hurts.”  _

_ “More like I had a headache from dealing with Quirrell’s horribly fake stuttering and dealing with classrooms full of incompetent idiots and you were, unfortunately, getting the backlash from it.”  _

_ “Hey!”  _ Harry was half out of his chair when Voldemort pushed him back down by his shoulder. 

“ _ I’m not talking about your year. You were all first years and hadn’t been subjected to subpar Defense teachers yet. The second and third years weren’t too horrible either, just rather lacking in certain areas.”  _ Voldemort was smirking at Harry’s rather adorable pout. “ _ Fourth and up though were tremendously behind. I’m surprised the fifth and seventh years that year even passed their exams.”  _

Harry blinked a few times rather dumbfoundedly. He often forgot that it wasn’t just his year that had to deal with the mostly ridiculous Defense teachers they were stuck with. He couldn’t even imagine how in the world the seventh years had even graduated when they’d been stuck with Lockhart. 

_ “Is the connection still active?” _

Both Harry and Voldemort seemed to have forgotten about the fact that Anacletus was still in the room and that he was the reason they were recounting all of the years Harry had been in the magical world. 

“ _ The connection is a side effect from the repelled killing curse.”  _ Voldemort explained slowly. “ _ It would seem that the methods I used to attain my immortality caused a small sliver of my soul to break off and attach itself to Harry when the curse failed to kill him, but destroyed my body.”  _

It was the closest to the truth that Voldemort was going to come to without actually admitting to the healer naga that he had created horcruxes. 

“ _ Interesting.”  _ Anacletus made several notations onto his parchment. “ _ And your soul sliver is still inside of young Harry?” _

Voldemort nodded and Harry scowled. “ _ On the first night of Harry’s arrival here, I discovered the soul shard. It has...merged with Harry’s own soul and magical core, but I am researching ways to possibly remove it from him.”  _ Voldemort actually seemed a little guilty and ashamed by the fact that he had done this to Harry.

Anacletus frowned at the older naga silently for several long minutes, just long enough for Harry to shift in his seat nervously. 

“ _ Back to your first year, if you would please young Harry.”  _

There was an almost inaudible sigh of relief from next to Harry from Voldemort when the healer decided to continue with the actual topic rather than on Voldemort’s soul shard. 

“ _ Oh, uh, sure.”  _ Harry took a moment to think about his first year at Hogwarts. “ _ Well, there was the troll attack during Halloween, but I didn’t get hurt. I did kinda shove my wand up the trolls nose though.”  _ He grimaced as he remembered the green, sticky, lumpy mess that had been the troll’s boogeys. “ _ Around Christmas time I found the MIrror of Erised and kinda got pulled into its thrall.”  _

The healer frowned and tilted his head a bit. “ _ The mirror of what?” _

_ “Erised. It’s a dark artifact that enthralls its victims by showing them their hearts desires.”  _ Voldemort was the one to pipe up in order to explain. “ _ It was originally created to remove dark spirits from possessed persons, but after a while the dark spirits warped the mirror. Eventually the mirror started stealing the very life source from the victims it would trap with its visions.”  _

_ “Wait what?!”  _ This time Harry did jump out of his seat so he could spin around and openly stare at Voldemort. “ _ And Dumbledore kept it in an unlocked room where any kid could find it? Wait, of course he did.”  _ He scowled darkly. Without the compulsions on him, it was easy for Harry to recognize when Dumbledore had purposefully put his life at risk. “ _ I sat in front of that mirror every night from Christmas night to the end of the holidays.”  _

Dumbledore had warned him how people had wasted away in front of the mirror, but he had said nothing about just how dangerous the thing had been. 

“ _ I don’t believe Harry was really exposed to anything else until the end of the term.”  _ Voldemort very carefully corralled Harry back into his seat, where he sat back down and fumed silently. “ _ And the end of the year he ended up facing a three headed dog-” _

_ “Fluffy was asleep and didn’t even hurt me.”  _

_ “Devil’s snare-” _

_ “Again, didn’t hurt me.” _

_ “A room full of enchanted flying keys-” _

_ “It felt like being pelted by a hailstorm.”  _

_ “A giant enchanted chess board.” _

_ “Ron got knocked out, not me.”  _

_ “I killed the troll so you didn’t exactly face that, and then a riddle that forced a person to drink either a potion that would let them walk through fire, nettlewine, or a poison.”  _

_ “There were actually two potions that would let someone walk through fire.”  _ Harry interrupted with a smirk. “ _ One to go forward and one to go back. I drank the one to go forward and Hermione drank the other.”  _

It hurt to think about his friends, after everything they had gone through together. Hermione and Ron had been his first real friends at Hogwarts and he’d been willing to do anything for them. With how they had always been with him, Harry had thought they had felt the same. He really should have realized the truth though when Ron kept turning his back on Harry whenever he didn’t get his way and how Hermione had always treated him like an idiot that couldn’t even do his homework right. 

_ “And then he faced me and the mirror.”  _

Both Harry and Voldemort had to take a moment to collect themselves and steady their emotions. 

“ _ Dumbledore had hidden the philosopher's stone, the one from Flamel, inside the mirror and only someone who wanted to find the stone, but not use it, could get it out.”  _ Harry’s voice was soft and he was looking down at his hands in his lap. He could almost envision smoke rising up from his hands and he could practically hear Quirrell’s death screams. 

“ _ It fell right into my pocket and Voldemort knew it. He...he made Quirrell attack me.”  _ Harry felt like he needed to scrub his hands clean to get the feeling of Quirrell’s burning flesh against his hands to go away. 

Voldemort swallowed hard at the absolute devastation that was on Harry’s face. It had been years since he’d even thought about that time in front of the mirror. To him, it had simply been a setback in his ultimate plan of getting his body back, but to the young boy next to him, who had been only a child, it had been a traumatic experience. 

“ _ Due to the sacrificial protection ritual that I believe Harry’s mother cast before her death, I could not touch him.”  _ Voldemort said softly, so as not to upset Harry further. “ _ Because I was possessing Quirrell, that protection kept him from touching Harry as well. When...when he did, Harry’s touch burned him.” _

_ “I killed him.”  _ Harry whispered hoarsely, his eyes staring blankly at his shaking hands. “ _ I grabbed his face and burned him to death.”  _ He rubbed his hands together before rubbing them on the hem of his shirt. “ _ Even when he let go of me, I kept my hands on his face. I killed him!”  _ His words went up in octave and it was a battle in a half for Harry not to have a break down. 

After everything that had happened during that entire fiasco, Harry had never stopped to think about it. He had never taken a moment to really realize that he had killed a man! At 11 years old, Harry had killed another living being and had only ever thought about it in passing up until now. It made him sick to think about and Harry felt like he needed to go and hide away someplace.

“ _ Harry! Look at me!”  _

There were hands on either side of his head, forcing Harry’s gaze up from where he was scratching at the palms of his hands.

“ _ You did not kill him! I did!”  _ Voldemort shook his head hard when Harry tried to argue. “ _ You burned him, yes, but he was not dead when he finally fell away, just unconscious. He died because I took his life force when I left his body.”  _

Quirrell’s death had been unavoidable from the beginning. “ _ Quirrell knew he was going to die when he agreed to let me possess him. I told him that when I finally left him, I would be forced to take his life force. He knew from the very beginning he would die.”  _

_ “W-what?”  _ The young submissive’s voice was broken and weak, but at least he was no longer clawing at his hands. 

“ _ That was the cost of me possessing him.”  _ Very slowly, Voldemort released his tight grip on Harry’s face, only to rub his thumbs gently back and forth across Harry’s cheeks. “ _ He died the moment I left him.” _

The turmoil that had been in Harry’s eyes was still there, but it had dimmed a little. “ _ B-but I-” _

_ “Even if you had killed him, it would have been in self defense.”  _ Perhaps Voldemort really should push for Harry to see a mind healer? It was painfully obvious that no one had ever spoken to Harry about what had happened and the boy had been keeping everything bottled up for all these years. 

For a long time Harry sat there, staring up into the crimson eyes that had fueled his nightmares for years. Now though, they made Harry feel safe and wanted. Finally, he sucked in a shaky breath and then another. He hadn’t realized that he had been holding his breath until the dark spots that had started to fill his vision faded. 

“ _ Was...was there anything else from your first year?”  _

Again the two seemed to have forgotten all about Anacletus until his soft voice pulled their attention away from each other. 

“ _ No….no I think that’s it.”  _

_ “That’s a lot to have happened in such a short amount of time.”  _ Anacletus cleared his throat and rubbed at his temples. “ _ And that was just your first year! I’m fearful about the rest of your Hogwarts education.”  _

A dry chuckle escaped Harry and he shrugged blandly. “ _ It only gets worse from there, believe me.”  _ At least Harry hadn’t actually gotten injured in his first year, just knocked around a bit. 

Before Harry could start on everything that had happened in his second year, there was a soft pop and a tea service appeared on the low coffee table that was placed at the center of all the seats. Voldemort quickly fixed up a cup of tea, surprising Harry when he made it the way that Harry usually enjoyed, and then handed the cup to the young submissive. 

“ _ Something tells me this is going to be a long day.”  _ Anacletus stood then and stretched his arms up. “ _ Is there some place my apprentice can go so he’s not just standing around in the hall? Perhaps someplace where he could take lunch when the time comes?”  _

Voldemort felt the urge to snarl at the mention of the young unmated dominant and he was half tempted to deny any offer of hospitality. He could argue that the two visiting nagas were uninvited guests and were infringing on his territory, but he knew that since he had been the one to send the letter to the tribe he had given them an open ended invitation. 

“Tippsy.” At Voldemort’s call, his house elf appeared and curtsied to her master. “There is a blond naga standing out in the hall. Escort him to the Rose Parlor and get him whatever refreshments he asks for.” 

The Rose Parlor was at the other end of the manor and was off limits to most of the Death Eaters that were around. It was perfect for keeping the unmated dominant as far from Harry as was conceivably possible as well as to keep Altair from getting into mischief. 

“ _ You have my thanks, Lord Voldemort.”  _

Harry was frowning as the healer bowed his head slightly towards Voldemort. “ _ Why do you keep calling me ‘young Harry’, but you give Voldemort his Lord title?”  _ It really did confuse Harry quite a bit. If anything, he would have expected the naga healer to call him ‘Mr. Potter’ or something like that. 

For a moment Anacletus just stared at Harry as if he didn’t quite understand the question. When an explanation wasn’t forthcoming, Harry turned to Voldemort hoping he would be able to answer the question. 

Voldemort sighed softly, but he knew exactly why Harry was confused. He’d been just as confused when he’d been Harry’s age. 

“ _ Humans have always placed a great deal of power in family names,”  _ Voldemort felt like he was explaining things to both Harry and Anacletus. “ _ In the Greek naga tribe, family names are reserved for formal events or when tracing one's lineage.”  _

_ “Oh! Yes!”  _ Finally Anacletus seemed to understand the topic. “ _ Names are sacred in naga culture. With each generation, the magic attached to a family name and bloodline gets stronger. Using someone’s family name without permission is like telling the world that you are entitled to their magic and status.”  _

_ “Many of the naga bloodlines have names that are associated with the tribe they originate from. So using one's family name would be akin to using a person’s ancestral country as their name as well.”  _ When Voldemort had first visited the various tribes when he had just graduated, it had been such a culture shock. His place as the Heir of Slytherin had been of paramount importance while at Hogwarts, but the tribes had only cared that he was fresh blood and powerful magically. 

“ _ So...why call me ‘young’ though? I mean, I get it, I’m young, but it’s not really a very good title.”  _ It took everything Harry had not to pout. 

Anacletus chuckled softly. Harry Potter wouldn’t be the first newly inherited naga to be offended by the honorific. “ _ The title of ‘young’ simply means underage and that you have unmated. When you are of age you will be addressed by your career or trade status. If you are still a student, you will be addressed as such. Altair is addressed as ‘apprentice Altair’ and I am addressed as ‘High Healer Anacletus’ or just ‘Healer’. Lord Voldemort,”  _ Anacletus motioned towards the white scaled dominant “ _ is a Lord of magic, thus he is addressed as such.”  _

The more of an explanation he was given, the more questions Harry seemed to have. 

“ _ And if I don’t have a…’trade’?”  _

“ _ Then you will be addressed as your rank within a tribe. Since you are currently an unmated submissive that is not connected to any tribe, you would be addressed simply as ‘sir’ by those who do not know you and by your given name by those that do.”  _

Anacletus shrugged at the befuddled look he got from the young submissive. “ _ Those of my tribe typically care more about what you do and how you contribute to the tribe than your blood. Your status as an unmated and newly inherited naga is only important in regards to mating.”  _ He stopped to think about something for a moment. “ _ Although, in your case, you’ll be popular because of your reputation and power as well.”  _

Harry groaned and slapped his hands over his face. Just what he needed, a bunch of dominants vying for his attention because of his stupid ‘boy-who-lived’ thing. 

“ _ Now then, shall we get back to work?”  _ Anacletus asked once he had made himself up a cup of tea. His parchment was back in front of him and his quill was at the ready. “ _ Let’s move on to your second year.”  _

“ _ Second year was an absolute mess!”  _ Harry rubbed his hands over his face. “ _ First there was a house elf that was bound and determined to convince me not to go back to Hogwarts, so he levitated a cake right over a bunch of my relatives' guests. Then he locked the entrance to platform 9 and 3/4 so that I couldn’t even get on the train! Ron and I ended up driving a flying car all the way to Hogwarts.” _

_ “I think I remember a flying car being mentioned in the Prophet.”  _ Voldemort muttered with a slight smirk. 

_ “We ended up crashing in the whomping willow. Thankfully neither of us got hurt, but Ron’s wand did break. He ended up wrapping spello-tape around it.”  _ Even though Harry was pretty sure these weren’t the kinds of details Anacletus was after, it was still easier for him to just go through everything as they had happened. Ranting about his past also seemed to make something inside Harry feel lighter.

“ _ During my first quidditch match, the house elf jinxed the bludger to chase after me and it ended up breaking my arm.”  _ Harry absently rubbed at his arm as he remembered the sickening crack and burning pain when his arm had been broken. “ _ The idiot Defense teacher that year, Lockhart, botched up a spell and instead of healing my arm he vanished all the bones in my arm and hand.”  _

The healer made a rather rude sound in the back of his throat and he hissed ever softly. “ _ Someone who wasn’t a healer tried to heal your arm? There could have been more wrong than just a broken bone!”  _ Anacletus scribbled angrily onto the parchment. “ _ Bludgers fly at such high speeds that it could have dislodged tendons and muscles as well as broken your bones. It could have caused whiplash to your neck and shoulders!”  _

Harry was a bit stunned as the naga healer listed so many things that could have been wrong just from the bludger hit. Madame Pomfrey hadn’t seemed concerned at the time about additional injuries, she had just been worried about having to regrow the bones in his arm. 

He waited until the naga healer was done writing before continuing. “ _ And then the petrifications started happening.”  _ he sighed softly and closed his eyes. That year had been horrible, so bloody horrible, and for a long time Harry had thought he was going insane. There had been a voice in the walls that only he could hear and Ron had told him that hearing voices, even in the magical world, was a very bad thing. 

“ _ I didn’t get petrified, but I heard the creature in the walls that was doing it.”  _ Harry’s voice grew quiet as he spoke.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Harry was talking about the basilisk, especially considering that the three people in the room were all naga and could understand parseltongue. Combine parseltongue with petrifications and the answer could only have been one of a few creatures. 

“ _ I came across an enchanted diary during the year. Turns out it had belonged to the Dark Lord and that he had used dark magic to make it.”  _

When Anaceltus turned to Voldemort for an explanation, the Dark Lord quickly thought up a fairly good cover story. 

“ _ The diary was one of my failsafe artifacts that would ensure I would be able to recover and come back to life if the worst happened.”  _ He didn’t know how much Healer Anacletus knew about dark magic, so Voldemort was hoping that the knowledge of horcruxes would remain obscure. 

_ “A first year, Ginny, had been writing in the diary for most of the term before I found it.”  _ Even though he was angry about being betrayed, he still hated that an innocent kid had been given such a dark artifact. It was horrible to imagine, but what if someone like Luna or Colin had gotten ahold of the diary? 

It wasn’t like Harry had known Luna during her first year, so he didn’t even know if he would have gone to rescue her if she had been the one to have been taken down to the chamber. After all, it had been Ron pushing him to go rescue Ginny as quickly as possible. 

“ _ What was the diary designed to do to the person writing in it?”  _ Once more, Anacletus was jotting a few things down onto his roll of parchment. 

“ _ The diary was designed to overtake the personality of the person writing in it and to create a new body for me using the magic of the person it was possessing.”  _ There were enough types of magic in the world that Voldemort would be able to keep the fact that the diary had been a horcrux a secret. “ _ I was supposed to update the diary every year to keep the memories current, but I was not able to do so the last few years before my body was destroyed.”  _

And that was the truth. For years Voldemort would retrieve his diary and update it on the current events. At least, that’s what he had been doing before his mind had broken from making too many horcruxes. 

“ _ Ginny tried to get rid of the diary, but I found it and started writing in it.”  _ He glared up at Voldemort then. “ _ The diary told me about a girl that had been killed by Slytherin’s monster 50 years ago and then had blamed Hagrid.”  _

_ “I do not regret framing that oaf.”  _ Voldemort said blandly. “ _ At least the basilisk could be controlled. The acromantula he was trying to raise in the DUNGEONS had gotten out several times and had bitten several younger slytherin students.” _

_ “What?”  _ This was definitely the first time Harry had ever heard about that! He’d known Hagrid had been raising Aragog, but not that the acromantula had actually harmed anyone.

Voldemort sniffed softly and nodded. “ _ A baby acromantula does not have fully developed venom yet, so a bite is not fatal. That being said, it’s bite can still tear flesh from bone and cause horrendous infections that if not treated can lead to sepsis.”  _ He sneered angrily. “ _ Despite several slytherin students being badly injured, even before the first petrification, nothing was done.”  _

As a prefect it had been Voldemort’s job to protect the younger students. He had reported Hagrid being in the dungeon over and over, about how he had been taking food and supplies to the dungeons, and about the strange egg Voldemort had seen at the start of term. Yet none of the teachers had done anything about it, not even Slughorn! 

Five students had been bitten before Voldemort had finally been able to get into the Chamber, and that had happened within the first two months of the school year. When it had first been reported that the first students had been bitten, there had been concern. That was, until it was revealed that the only students being bitten were Slytherins. 

Dumbledore had been the one to suggest that it was all just some sort of prank and that it would blow over quickly. It hadn’t. 

The only thing that had been done was to give the Slytherin students an earlier curfew. None of the students from the other houses were given an earlier curfew, and it hadn’t helped at all. When the Slytherin students decided to travel in packs, for protection, it still hadn’t helped. If anything, travelling in packs had made the rest of the student body suspicious of the Slytherins and had started targeting them with real pranks.

So as soon as Voldemort had found the Chamber of Secrets and had discovered that the monster was actually the ancient basilisk, he had decided that the rest of the school needed to be punished. He had known exactly what would happen if a person looked into the reflection of the basilisk's eyes, so he had created a spell that would create a type of barrier over the snake's eyes so that no one would be killed, just petrified. 

He just wanted to scare the professors into actually paying attention to the injured students.

Finally, with the first couple students being petrified, the professors actually did something. Dumbledore especially started arguing for more protections when the first Gryffindor muggle-born was petrified. 

Everyone seemed to forget though that the Slytherin students had been getting injured first, even if they weren’t getting petrified. Voldemort had been so angry at the entire school, especially when the younger Slytherin students became targets for harassment. 

Myrtle Warren had been one of the worst bullies of the young first year Slytherins, always tripping them with hexes, yelling at them, pinching them when they were in her way, and pushing them against walls. He knew she’d been getting bullied by her own housemates, but that didn’t mean she could turn around and bully those that had even less protection than she did. 

So Voldemort had punished her. He had used the basilisk to kill her and had used her death to create his first horcrux. He had only realized his mistake when it was announced that Hogwarts would close until they found the creature that had been rampaging through the school. 

Seeing the opportunity that had presented itself, Voldemort had cornered Hagrid and had proven to everyone that he had been raising a dangerous and uncontrollable creature in the dungeons. The idiot had been expelled, but not before the oaf had somehow gotten his pet beast into the forest. 

As Voldemort recalled everything that had happened, the room had descended into silence. Harry couldn’t seem to get over the fact that students had been getting hurt because of Hagrid’s pet and the professors had done nothing! Then again, after everything that he had gone through in the last several years of attending Hogwarts, could he really say he was that surprised? 

“ _ Perhaps we could move on?”  _ Those words seemed to break the spell of silence and both Voldemort and Harry shook themselves from their thoughts. 

“ _ Y-yeah.”  _ Harry had to clear his throat and take a couple sips from his tea before he could keep talking. “ _ Ginny stole the diary back and it ended up possessing her and taking her down to the Chamber of Secrets, where the basilisk lived.”  _ Again Harry unconsciously rubbed at his arm and Voldemort had to wonder just how many times that arm of his had been injured. “ _ I ended up fighting the basilisk and it’s fang got lodged into my arm just as I stabbed it with Gryffindor’s sword.”  _

_ “Which would account for your naga form taking the basilisk traits.”  _ Anacletus muttered as he circled something on his rather long list of whatever it was that he was writing down. “ _ I imagine had you not had serpent blood, the basilisk venom would have killed you quickly.”  _

Harry shrugged. “ _ Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix, was still around and he cried on my arm after I stabbed the diary with the basilisk fang.”  _

It was Voldemort’s turn to wince, as if he had actually felt the fang as it had been stabbed into his horcrux. 

“ _ That’s it really. Oh! No wait, before I went down into the chamber Ron and I had to go into an acromantula nest. We didn’t get bit or anything, just scraped up from the forest.”  _

Anacletus honestly looked like he was about ready to have a heart attack. Only the most seasoned warriors of the tribe had ever encountered so much danger, and even then they were at least half a century old! And yet this boy had gone through so much in the last couple years that he made many of the tribe’s warriors look like amateurs. 

“ _ May I look at where the basilisk bit you?”  _

“ _ I guess.” _ Harry carefully rolled up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal the pale discolored circular patch of skin on his arm. It hadn’t been nearly as bad of a scar as it could have been, and Harry was pretty sure that was thanks to Fawkes’ tears. 

Harry hadn’t actually taken a look at any of his scars since his inheritance had hit, they just weren’t on his mind or important to him. So when he lifted up his arm and rolled down his sleeve, he was actually a little stunned when he looked closer at the scar. 

What should have been the pale discolored scar that he had remembered, had a strange shimmery look in the dim light. He was used to seeing the spattering of scales along the backs of his arms, but the closer he looked at the scar, the more he noticed how the amount of scales seemed to multiply over and around the scar tissue. They were still tiny and looked more like green freckles, so it made sense that he had never really noticed them. 

As the healer examined the old wound, he made little humming sounds. “ _ I think it is very possible that the interaction between the basilisk venom and the phoenix tears may very well be the cause of your scale discoloration.”  _ Anacletus frowned though as he turned Harry’s arm over to see if the fang had gone all the way there. “ _ No exit wound, so the venom would have pooled in your arm and stayed there.” _ His words were mumbled, not really meant for discussion. 

“ _ Phoenix tears are powerful, but the venom from an ancient basilisk should have been too potent for even the tears.”  _

_ “Healer Callaway said both the tears and the venom are still in my system.”  _ Harry interjected as Anacletus theorized to himself. 

For a long time Anacletus just stared at Harry. “ _ The phoenix tears shouldn’t have lasted in your system for that long, especially after your inheritance.”  _ He frowned deeply as he let go of Harry’s arm. “ _ Did the phoenix ever cry into another of your wounds?” _

_ “Yeah, at the end of my 4th year.”  _

Anacletus sighed deeply and he sat back on the couch. “ _ Perhaps we should continue going through your life year by year? Something tells me your life has only gotten harder with each year.”  _

Harry snorted and nodded. It was the understatement of the year that there was always something going on that put his life at risk. “ _ Do we really have to go through every year?”  _ He asked with a groan. Just talking about his first two years had taken over an hour. 

“ _ Yes.”  _ Anacletus stated quite seriously. “ _ I need your full medical history and a diagnostic charm can only tell me so much.”  _

Another groan left Harry, but he understood. The naga healer was just doing his job, and Harry appreciated that. So even though he hated going over every bad thing that had ever happened to him in his life, Harry would do it. 

At least he didn’t have to talk about his life before he started Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, chapter 33 is done! I hope you enjoyed the back and forth between Harry and Voldemort. I tried not to make this sound too much like a summary chapter and to make it entertaining. 
> 
> A couple things- 
> 
> The 'love interest' I mentioned in my last comment last chapter is not important. It is a plot device meant to give Harry some character development and to bring Harry and Voldemort closer together (They do become friends though long term). This story is going to be Harry x Voldemort at the end. That said, Harry is 16 years old and he really hasn't had ANY experience dating people. He's young, confused, and worried whether or not he's making the right decision. He doesn't see Voldemort as his 'one true love/soulmate' so Harry getting a crush on someone else would be normal. Then again, he's never really allowed himself to have a crush on anyone other than Cho. 
> 
> Altair is a jerk and won't be around for long. He'll make a couple appearances down the line, but otherwise he's not important. I just wanted to introduce more naga to the story. Not all dominants are like him, Voldemort for example. Altair is young, finishing up his apprenticeship, and is one of those people who thinks he's 'gods gift to the world'. So seeing Harry, a beautiful unmated submissive when there's no other competition around has Altair not even considering being polite. He's also a prick. 
> 
> The reason Anacletus is so worried about Harry's strange scale color, is for health reasons. When a normal snake is discolored in someway, usually there are other health defects as well. Anacletus, as a very experienced healer, wants to make sure he has Harry's full medical history before assuming anything about what could or could not be the cause of Harry's discolored scales. And yes, Harry's strange scale color is important in the future. 
> 
> With that all out of the way, I have good news! Chapter 34 will be posted on Wednesday the 16th of December, so in 2 days. Then chapter 35 will be posted Monday the 21st of December. 
> 
> Next time: Harry continues talking about his 3rd, 4th, and 5th year. He gets angry with Voldemort afterwards and storms out, leaving Voldemort and Anacletus to talk alone.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry continues telling Anacletus about the last few years of his life, getting to years 3, 4, and 5.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 34

Thankfully for Harry, explaining what had happened during his 3rd year had gone by rather quickly. Other than the dementors, the time turner, and almost getting bitten by a werewolf, nothing had really happened to Harry. Voldemort hadn’t even been involved at all, unless he counted Pettigrew being there. Still, Anacletus had turned rather pale when Harry had told him about the hundreds of dementors that had attacked him and Sirius. 

And then they moved onto the year where he’d gotten injured the most. His 4th year. 

“ _ Did you really have to put me into the tournament?”  _ Harry asked Voldemort with a groan after doing a quick description of his summer before 4th year. “ _ Wasn’t there any other way you could have kidnapped me that didn’t involve putting me into a deadly tournament that even 17 year olds have trouble with?” _

Voldemort winced ever so slightly at Harry’s accusations. “ _ At the time it seemed like the best course of action.”  _ It honestly had been as well. Normally the wards around Hogwarts prevented the use of portkeys, especially on students, but the tournament had changed that. “ _ The wards around Hogwarts had to be altered to allow the champions to interact with dangerous creatures and normally forbidden magic in order to participate in the tournament.”  _ He explained even as Harry scowled at him. “ _ The portkey on the trophy would only work on a champion.”  _

A small growl slipped out of Harry and he slouched down in his seat, rubbing at the thin scar on his arm from where Pettigrew had cut him. 

“ _ Harry…”  _ Voldemort knelt down next to the young submissive. “ _ I promise I’ll make it up to you for what I did.”  _ His thumb gently ran across the white scar that was dotted with little green scales. 

As much as Harry wanted to remain mad at Voldemort, because his 4th year really had been the catalyst for every bad thing that had happened up until his inheritance, the regret and sincerity on Voldemort’s face had his anger fading a bit. 

Huffing in annoyance, Harry looked away from Voldemort. Maybe he could forgive the man for what he had done, eventually, but for the time being he was not going to make things easy for him. 

“ _ So yeah. I got entered into the Triwizard Tournament against my will in my 4th year.”  _ Harry told Anacletus when he remembered that the healer was waiting for the story of his 4th year. 

“ _ You’ll have to forgive me, but what is the ‘Triwizard Tournament’ exactly?”  _ The healer was frowning at the other two naga in the room, aware that something else was going on in the two naga’s relationship. Then again, there was so much history between Voldemort and Harry Potter that Anacletus could probably be reading the signs wrong. 

It took Harry a moment to remember what Anacletus had told them earlier, that the naga tribe didn’t send their children to wizarding school. So they probably didn’t believe anything that the schools did to be important at all. 

“ _ The Triwizard Tournament is an old contest of skill and power where three champions from three participating schools go up against each other to complete three challenges.”  _ Voldemort easily answered the naga healer. 

Anacletus frowned at the magical symbolism that having 3 champions from 3 schools and competing in 3 challenges meant. It was an old Fae tale, known as the Power of 3 or the 3 Fold Law, that by doing something 3 times, it would make the result of the magic 3 times as powerful. 

“ _ Normally, only of age witches and wizards are allowed to participate, but...well...one of my followers was able to enter Harry as the sole participant for a fourth school.”  _ Voldemort continued to explain. “ _ Harry became the fourth champion of the tournament.”  _

A deep breath of relief left Anacletus then. With a fourth champion, the power of 3 times 3 had been negated and the ancient fae magic had been avoided. And yet by the somber look on Voldemort’s face and the deep scowl on Harry’s, Anacletus could only guess that things had definitely not gone well during the tournament. 

“ _ The first challenge? We had to get a golden egg from a dragon’s nest!”  _ Harry spat out angrily. Maybe he wouldn’t have been so upset if he’d actually gotten some real help during the tournament instead of a vague suggestion from a disguised Death Eater. “ _ They expected a 14 year old to know what to do against a dragon! And if I’d played by the rules I wouldn’t have even known about the dragon until the actual challenge!”  _

Anacletus choked and sputtered as he tried to imagine the small submissive going up against a massive dragon. With how small Harry was now, he couldn’t even begin to imagine just how small the boy had been a couple years ago. 

“ _ The Hungarian Horntail scraped my shoulder with her tail spike, but I didn’t get burned at all.”  _ Harry felt a little bit of pride over the first challenge. Despite getting zero help and learning only a single spell, Harry had done better than any of the older champions. He had done just as the fake Moody had suggested and had played to his strengths. 

The naga healer was very pale and he was staring at Harry with wide eyes. “ _ At least you didn’t try to talk to it. It’s a common mistake to make, but parseltongue does not work on dragon’s.”  _ Quite a few parselmouths have been badly injured or killed because they thought they would be able to talk to a dragon the same way they could talk to snakes. 

Just because two species of creatures were similar, as in they had scales, did not mean they could understand each other. As it was, the only non snake that could understand parseltongue was the Occamy, and even then just barely. 

“ _ Oh.”  _ Harry blinked a few times then smirked a bit in embarrassment. “ _ Honestly, I never thought of doing it anyway.”  _ Parseltongue for him hadn’t been a very important part of his life back then, it had simply been another thing that connected him to Voldemort and gave people a reason to hate him. 

“ _ So after that was the second task, which was in the Black Lake.”  _

_ “Don’t….don’t you mean ON the Black Lake?”  _ Anacletus asked slowly, fearful of the answer he would get. 

Harry shook his head. “ _ Nope. We had to swim into the Black Lake to rescue something ‘precious’ that had been stolen from us. Each of us had a friend or loved one taken.”  _ He scowled darkly as he remembered how it had been his now ex friend Ron that had been taken. Even after abandoning him for a while and saying such mean things about him, Harry had still taken him back and forgiven him. 

“ _ I ate some gillyweed so I could breathe underwater for an hour. I’m pretty sure some grindylows scratched me up, but other than that I didn’t really get hurt.”  _ Again he hated the fact that he had been so ill prepared for the task. The other champions had gotten help from either their headmasters or from others in their year. Harry hadn’t even known that his magic would react differently underwater. 

If he had known, then maybe he would have taken the knife Sirius had given him with him into the lake, or maybe he would have learned spells that would actually work underwater. Instead he had barely gotten through the challenge, relying on the Gillyweed that Dobby had stolen and on his luck. 

“ _ T-the last task…”  _ Harry swallowed hard as suddenly Cedric’s sightless eyes and pale skin came to mind and he shuddered hard. 

There was a comforting warm hand on his shoulder and Harry didn’t know if he wanted to lean into the comfort or reject it. It had been Voldemort’s fault that Cedric had died, he had been the one to order Pettigrew to kill Cedric. 

“ _ The last task we had to get through a maze full of creatures and spells.”  _ At least he’d been better prepared for the maze. Unlike the first two challenges, Harry had been able to actually research spells that could protect him and help him with what he might encounter. 

“ _ There was a boggart, a spell that flipped the world upside down, a blast-ended skrewt, a sphinx, and then an acromantula that bit my leg.”  _ At least that was everything that had happened to him inside the maze. 

All things considered Harry had done ridiculously well in the maze; probably thanks to the Moody imposter Crouch Jr. Harry really should have come across a lot more in the maze than he had. 

_ “A-and then...then the cup was a portkey that-”  _ Harry was practically choking on his words as he tried to continue with the story. 

“ _ I had my spy turn the champion’s cup into a portkey that would bring Harry straight to me. I was in a graveyard preparing a ritual to return my body to me. The ritual required a potion made from the venom of my familiar, flesh of a servant, the bones of my father, and the blood of my enemy.”  _ The man’s voice was flat as he spoke. “ _ My servant cut Harry across the arm and took some of his blood. I believe it is because of Harry’s blood that my new body was able to regain my naga inheritance.” _

It was obvious that the naga healer was fighting hard not to verbally explode at Voldemort, his eyes were narrowed in anger and his face was red from keeping himself contained, and the white scaled dominant knew exactly why the healer was mad at him. Voldemort had chosen that particular ritual to get his body back only because it had been the simplest one and Pettigrew would be very hard pressed to screw it up. 

But using blood in any ritual was dangerous and could have disastrous results if done wrong. It was why most people used animal or muggle blood. Non magical blood always tended to have less of a consequence if the ritual, spell, or potion backfired. 

Thankfully the healer said nothing, only scribbled angrily onto his parchment for a couple minutes. Voldemort was an adult and he knew what he was doing, even if his sanity was questionable at the best of times. 

“ _ Voldemort touched my scar after he got his body back and it hurt like the cruciatus.”  _ Harry took up where Voldemort had stopped. He was still fighting with himself on whether or not to pull away from Voldemort, to get some space between them, so talking was at least a decent distraction for him. “ _ He used the imperius curse on me and then we dueled.”  _

_ “When our spells connected it created a Prior Incantatem.”  _ Voldemort actually flinched then. Seeing the spirits of the last people that had been killed using his wand had shaken him greatly. 

Neither Harry nor Voldemort mentioned the spirits or Cedric’s death, both feeling emotional over what had happened.    
  
“ _ I was able to get to the portkey and it returned me to the maze.”  _ Harry frowned then as he recalled being dragged first to Moody’s office and then to Dumbledore’s. His leg had still been bleeding at that point, as well as his arm, and yet no one had thought to take him to the hospital wing immediately? 

“ _ Fawkes cried on my leg where the acromantula had bitten me.”  _

_ “More phoenix tears.”  _ Anacletus mumbled. At least that explained why the tears were still showing up in Harry’s bloodwork. 

Harry had been hoping that once he had finished talking about his fourth year, he might calm down some. That was until he remembered what had happened at the end of his fifth year and he felt his lip curling. 

“ _ Let us take a break and eat some lunch.”  _ Voldemort also knew what was coming up and he was not looking forward to the anger that was sure to come up. Up until that moment, Voldemort really hadn’t thought about how many people Harry had lost over the years. Now though, it seemed like someone that Harry had known had died each year. Or if not died, then had been forced to leave him. 

Lunch was a silent affair, the three nagas choosing a selection of meat from the tray and then eating from their own plates. Once in a while, Voldemort would sneak a few extra slices of fruit or cheese onto Harry’s plate only to get a half hearted glare back. At least Harry ate whatever Voldemort put on his plate, which made the older naga happy. 

There was nothing too terribly fancy for the trio to eat, which Harry was relieved about. As much as he had really enjoyed the foreign beef before, he didn’t really think he had the stomach for anything different at the moment. 

Once they were done eating, Harry began telling Anacletus about his 5th year at Hogwarts. Now that he was talking about it, Harry realized that the majority of the year hadn’t even been Voldemort’s fault. Sure the visions had been annoying and painful, but they hadn’t actually been the reason his 5th year had been horrid. 

“ _ It all started during the summer.”  _ Harry cursed softly under his breath. “ _ A couple dementors showed up where I lived and tried to suck the souls out of me and my cousin.”  _

“ _ I remember Lucius ranting about how incompetant the wizengamot was that summer.”  _ Even Voldemort had been amazed that the entire wizengamot had been called for a case of underage magic. After learning about what had happened, from both Malfoy and now from Harry, Voldemort knew that the expecto patronum spell that Harry had used should have fallen under the self defense clause of the underage magic laws. 

Harry should have gone before the Board of Governors for a disciplinary hearing, and yet Minister Fudge had decided to make things even worse. 

To be honest Voldemort had been surprised that Potter hadn’t sued the ministry for defamation of character when Fudge had started blasting about how Potter, a minor, was an insane liar. 

Now that Voldemort knew more about Harry, and how he had actually been raised outside of the magical world, he knew that Harry hadn’t even known about his protections from the press as a minor. There wasn’t much that could be done now, especially seeing as how Harry wanted to have nothing to do with the war or the British magical world. 

“ _ Yeah, well, they suck.”  _ Harry scowled deeply as he thought about how he had been made to feel like a criminal all because he had been trying to protect both himself and his cousin. “ _ At least I was allowed to leave my relatives for the rest of the summer after that. The house I went to though was dripping in dark magic and artifacts. I spent the rest of the summer helping the Weasleys to clean the place up.”  _

There wasn’t much else Harry could say about Grimmauld place, the magic of the fidelius making it difficult to talk about the headquarters at all. He couldn’t seem to say anything that would give away the location of the Order’s headquarters. 

“ _ As horrible as school was, it didn’t start off as badly as some of my earlier years.”  _ At least not at first. “ _ All that really happened, besides those visions from Voldemort, were my detentions with Umbridge.” _

Harry stopped talking then and unconsciously rubbed at the hand that had been marked by Umbridge’s blood quill. Even after all the murtlap essence and after his inheritance, those words were still etched into his skin.

Sensing that there was more to the story than the young submissive was saying, Anacletus leaned a bit closer to Harry. “ _ Why are you rubbing your hand like that?”  _

Having been thinking about all those detentions, about how his hand had never seemed to heal right after using the blood quill, and how nothing had been done to stop the woman from torturing him and the other students, Harry had become lost in thought. He started slightly when his hand was suddenly taken by Voldemort and it was being examined by both dominant naga. 

“ _ By the Mother!”  _ Anacletus cursed as the shiny scars on the back of his hand were revealed by a summoned ball of light. 

The scar, ‘I must not tell lies’, had faded slightly with Harry’s inheritance, but like his other magically created scars it hadn’t been healed away like his non magical scars. “ _ Who did this to you?”  _

Voldemort was seething. He had known that Harry had been targeted by the ministry last school year and that their woman, Umbridge, had singled the boy out for an immense amount of detentions. What he had not known was what had happened during those detentions. Possessive protectiveness reared up inside of Voldemort as he quickly connected the dots of how Harry had gotten those scarred words to who had given them to him. 

“ _ Well...You see, Umbridge was making all the students that had detention with her write lines using a special quill-” _

_ “Please don’t tell me she made you use a blood quill.” _ Even though the Greek naga tribe was mostly isolated from the wizarding world, it still knew a great deal about various artifacts that were used. The goblins especially utilized blood quills for their contracts, of which the tribe had several with the goblins. 

Nervously, Harry nodded. He wanted to take his hand back from the two older men, but Voldemort had a firm grip on his wrist. The dark looks that passed between Voldemort and Anacletus did nothing to reassure Harry. 

“ _ It was. A blood quill, I mean.”  _ He had known then that a blood quill was a dark artifact that used a person’s blood as ink, but he hadn’t known much more than that. Now though, since Hermione had researched it after getting detention herself, he knew that it was an illegal dark artifact that could only be used by those who had permits to do so. 

Both Voldemort and Anacletus cursed loudly. “ _ This is very important Harry,”  _ Voldemort’s words were deep and his expression foreboding. “ _ Did Umbridge ever make you sign your name with that quill?” _

Harry’s brows came together in confusion, but he shook his head. She had only ever made him write ‘I must not tell lies’ while he had been in detention with her. 

“ _ Thank the Mother for minor miracles.”  _ Anacletus seemed to fall back into his seat, but he didn’t immediately pick up his parchment and quill again. 

Harry was frowning as he looked from the naga healer to Voldemort and back. “ _ Why is writing my name so important?” _

It felt like every other day that Voldemort was reminded of just how far behind Harry was with his magical education. Most pureblood children, and many half-blood children, already knew what blood quills were and why they were used by the time they attended Hogwarts. Harry, having been raised in the muggle world, had been behind from the start. 

At this point it was obvious that his lack of knowledge had been an intentional plan of Dumbledore’s.

“ _ After writing whatever it was that this Umbridge woman made you write,”  _ Anacletus gently touched the back of Harry’s hand “ _ she could have turned it into a contract by having you sign it.”  _

_ “She would have made it impossible for you to lie.”  _ Voldemort told the young submissive bluntly. “ _ You probably would have found it difficult to lie immediately after writing this phrase.”  _ He brushed his thumb along the edge of the scarred words. “ _ I imagine that was probably her plan all along, but she forgot to have you sign after making you write all those lines.”  _

It had to have been thousands and thousands of lines over the course of many detentions, to have left a permanent scar on the boy’s hand. That dark quill could have even caused nerve damage if nothing had been done to heal Harry’s hand. 

“ _ There’s nothing that can be done for the scarring.”  _ Anacletus said as he took the boy’s hand from Voldemort so that he could get a closer look at it. 

He could sense stale dark magic coming from the scar, but it really was nothing to worry about. The only thing that the dark magic was doing, was keeping the scar from fully healing and fading. 

“ _ The compulsions that were on you, young Harry, are broken, but I am concerned that the remnants of the compulsions will interact with the dark magic of the quill scar.”  _ Anacletus was saying as he continued to inspect the scar. 

“ _ Do you find it difficult to lie or do you feel compelled to tell the truth?”  _

For a moment Harry felt the instinctual push to say ‘no’, to deny everything so that he would not get the attention of the healer, but being reminded of the compulsions had Harry stopping to think. The compulsions had been designed in such a way that he did not want to get any medical help and to unquestioningly trust authority figures. He didn’t know how the magic from the blood quill would affect the compulsion remnants. 

Did he have trouble lying? Growing up he had hated being called a liar, so he had tried to always tell the truth. Not that it had helped at all. Most of the people in Surrey had believed the Dursley’s when they had called him a trouble maker and a liar. The habit of not lying had followed him into his Hogwarts years as well though. Even when Harry had lied, he had added as much of the truth as he could. 

Which brought him back to his original question; did he have trouble lying? 

“ _ I...don’t actually know.”  _ Harry took his hand back finally. He stared at the scar there contemplatively before looking up at Anacletus. “ _ I was called a liar a lot by my relatives growing up and I really hated it. So I was determined to only ever tell the truth.”  _ Even when it got him into trouble. Eventually Harry had learned that sometimes it was better to keep quiet rather than attempt to defend himself. 

While Harry was busy being distracted by his thoughts and the scar on his hand, Anacletus and Voldemort looked at each other and shared a silent conversation. 

For Voldemort, this was the most Harry had ever shared about his muggle relatives. The boy had been very careful about what he said about them, even when Healer Callaway had first revealed the signs of long term abuse. 

Anacletus on the other hand was incessed that a young submissive had been subjected to any sort of mistreatment. Hearing Harry’s life story, even just the last five years of his life, had left the naga healer feeling protective to a degree he hadn’t before. His mind could only conjure up images of his own child, who was now in his 12th year of life, being abused in such a way and it left Anacletus feeling absolutely murderous.

Harry wasn’t the first submissive naga to have come from a non naga household, he wasn’t even the first abuse case that Anacletus had come across, but he was the first to have had life threatening situations thrust upon him year after year. 

“ _ Harry…”  _

The soft baritone pulled Harry from his thoughts and he looked up at Voldemort sharply. He had been feeling so angry for the last hour that he had been avoiding looking at the Dark Lord, at the man that had been behind so much pain in Harry’s life. 

And yet when Harry looked up at Voldemort, he couldn’t seem to keep up his anger to the degree that he wanted. He was still upset, but seeing Voldemort looking so sad, protective, and concerned had Harry feeling at a loss. How could he be angry with the man when Voldemort only seemed to be worried about him? It was so contradictory to the Dark Lord Harry had known for years and even after 2 weeks, he couldn’t seem to quite wrap his head around that fact. 

“ _ You need to tell Anacletus about the rest of your 5th year.” _

Just like that, Harry’s anger was at full force again. He snarled as he remembered exactly what had happened at the end of his 5th year. “ _ Why don’t you tell him!”  _ He hissed out as his fangs threatened to drop down and drip venom. “ _ You know what happened, what you did, what you caused!”  _ He turned his back on Voldemort and turned so that he wouldn’t even look at either of the dominants. “ _ I’m done talking.” _

The hatred and anger that the young submissive was practically radiating so suddenly worried Anacletus. It wasn’t a secret that the Dark Lord and Harry Potter had been enemies, but if the boy really was feeling this much hatred towards the Dark Lord then how had the boy’s instincts agreed to have the man be his protector? 

Voldemort winced and he quickly backed away from Harry, giving him the space that he knew the boy would want. To be honest he had been expecting Harry to have this outburst ages ago. It surprised him that the submissive naga before him had only now gotten so angry about what had happened that his magic was finally starting to snap around him. 

With a heartfelt sigh, Voldemort reached out with his own magic to gently soothe Harry’s own. The connection between them helped to calm the boy’s magic, but it did nothing to help with his anger. 

“ _ Towards the end of Harry’s 5th year, I sent him a false vision through our connection. It was a trap to lure him away from Hogwarts and to the Department of Mysteries.”  _ The young naga was now growling ever so softly under his breath, but with Voldemort’s magic gently entwined with his own he wasn’t lashing out. 

“ _ There was a battle between a group of my followers and Harry’s group. When they had been cornered in the Death Chamber, Bellatrix Lestrange dueled Harry’s godfather.”  _ Voldemort kept his voice as neutral as possible and he kept his magic gently entwined with Harry’s to make sure that the boy wouldn’t have an outburst. “ _ I was not there when it happened, but it was reported to me that Harry’s godfather fell through the Veil, an ancient magical artifact said to be a doorway between the world of the living and the realm of the dead.”  _

_ “She killed him!”  _ Harry snarled then. “ _ She killed him and ran. I chased her and tried to hit her with the cruciatus curse, but it failed.”  _ At worst she had probably just felt a muscle cramp from his failed attempt. “ _ Then Voldemort showed up and tried to possess me.”  _

_ “And you were able to throw me off, which surprised me just long enough for Dumbledore to show up to duel with me.”  _

That was the end of Harry’s fifth year. After that he’d been sent back to the Dursley’s where his uncle had beaten him nearly to death and then he’d gotten his naga inheritance. Harry refused to tell the healer about the dream he’d had about his parents; to him that moment had been extremely private. 

For what felt like forever, Anacletus silently read down the list of notes he had made. While he did that, Harry slowly calmed down from the anger over Sirius’ death. He’d had this argument with himself dozens of times, that he couldn’t completely blame Voldemort for the man’s death, but he didn’t think he would ever be able to forgive Voldemort for setting the trap. 

Could they even have a relationship if he couldn’t find it in him to forgive Voldemort for the things he had done to Harry? What sort of relationship could they even have if Harry could feel so much anger at the man? His instincts believed that he could trust Voldemort, that the man would make a good mate and would be strong enough to protect a future family, but Harry’s feelings told him that he needed more than just trust and protection. 

Thankfully Anacletus spoke up and broke that train of thought so that Harry wouldn’t get stuck in another loop of questioning himself. 

“ _ Based on everything that has happened in your life, I do not think I will be able to pinpoint exactly why your scale color is so different from what is seen for a typical basilisk naga inheritance.”  _ The healer set the long piece of parchment down with a shake of his head. “ _ I’ll need to go over this and compare it to your diagnostic report before agreeing to any sort of healing plan for you.”  _

Voldemort frowned at the naga healer as the man rubbed at the bridge of his nose tiredly. “ _ Is the plan made by Healer Callaway not satisfactory?”  _

Before the healer could respond, Harry butted into the conversation. “ _ Do I still need to be here for this? Or can I go?”  _ He was still feeling his anger bubbling beneath the surface and he wanted to get some fresh air and distance from Voldemort for a little while. He couldn’t even remember what he had been planning to do for the day, but he now knew that he wanted to go over to the little owl shed where Hedwig would be and spend some time with her. 

“ _ That depends,”  _ Anacletus responded slowly and neutrally, “ _ Do you feel comfortable with me discussing your health and welfare with Lord Voldemort?”  _

_ “Yeah, sure, whatever.”  _ Harry just really wanted to leave. “ _ He’s my protector right? You can tell him whatever you need.”  _

He didn’t even wait for any sort of response from either Voldemort or Anacletus. Harry was done talking, he was done remembering every sorry little detail of his life, and he was especially tired of trying to justify how much his instincts wanted him to be with Voldemort. 

So Harry turned and hurriedly left the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to do a double update this week because chapters 33 and 34 were linked together pretty strongly. I also just wanted to get past them because I really do dislike doing summary chapters that talk about information that we already know. 
> 
> Next update will be Monday the 21st of December!
> 
> Next time: Harry's talk with Hedwig brings about a revelation. Voldemort and Anacletus discuss what to do next. The healer obviously wants to get Harry back to the Greek Tribe to take care of him.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After regaling Healer Anacletus with the last several years of his life, Harry storms out of Voldemort's study. He makes his way to the owlery and has a very important talk with Hedwig. Voldemort and Anacletus finish up discussing what needs to be done to heal Harry.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 35

Maybe he should have taken a moment to think things through before barrelling his way out of Voldemort’s study and through Malfoy Manor. As it was though, all Harry could think about was how he had just had to retell his entire life story to a stranger. It hadn’t been bad at first, but as he had recounted the last couple years, Harry had felt nothing but anger. 

He had been forced into life and death situations for years, but his fourth and fifth years had been absolutely horrid. He had not only been tortured in different ways both years, but at the end of each year someone had died, because of him and Voldemort. First Cedric had been killed, all because Harry had insisted they share the tournament prize, and then Sirius all because Harry had rushed to the ministry before thinking things through . 

Both Cedric and Sirius had died because of Voldemort!

The anger that he had been feeling back in the study returned, not that it had faded at all, and if Harry had still had feet he would have been stomping. He was hissing though as he rushed through the halls and out one of the doors leading into the gardens outside. 

Since Hedwig had been reunited with him, Harry had spent several hours a day visiting his owl so he had grown used to the path that he needed to take. Soon he was at the owerly shed and calling out for Hedwig from outside. 

Soon enough his beautiful white snowy owl was rushing out of a window along the eaves of the roof and was landing on his outstretched arm. 

_ “What is wrong Harry?”  _ Hedwig asked as she quickly balanced herself on her boy’s arm. Almost as soon as she had settled, she was being pet and held close to her boy. He only did this when something big had upset him. 

It took a couple minutes of Harry breathing deeply and taking in Hedwig’s slightly musty woodsy smell before he was able to calm down again. 

“There’s a lot wrong, Hedwig.” With how strong his anger had been, Harry could feel his magic almost bubbling under his skin. It hadn’t lashed out yet, but he knew if he had stayed in that study it would have. Now it felt like it was just softly simmering, cooling down slowly as he gained more control over his temper. “I don’t even know where to start! I don’t even know if I’m doing the right thing anymore!” 

How could he, when he was thinking of dating the Dark Lord? The man had killed so many people and had tortured countless more. He had killed Harry’s own family and had even tried to kill him several times! Voldemort had admitted to not feeling any remorse over the people he had murdered. He had started a war when he hadn’t gotten his way and was still determined to follow through with the violence he had started. 

Harry knew all of this, and yet he was still thinking of getting involved with the man! What sort of person did that make Harry? What did it say about him that he didn’t want to fight anymore or protect innocent people from being killed? How was it even possible for Harry to be thinking of accepting Voldemort’s courtship offer still? 

And yet...Harry couldn’t help but remember how it had felt to be held by Voldemort when he had lost control of his instincts, how he had been filled with that sense of safety and comfort. He had never felt like that before, not even with Sirius and Harry had thought of the man as real family! 

“I’m just so confused Hedwig! I should hate Voldemort! He’s done so many terrible things to me and to so many others! But...but I can’t anymore.” Harry wandered over to the garden bench that was a little ways back down the path and sat down heavily. “I get angry with him, but I can’t seem to hate him. It’s not like I don’t know what hate feels like. I absolutely and completely HATE Umbridge, and I know I hate Bellatrix for what she did to Sirius, but...but I can’t seem to feel that same hatred for Voldemort.”

Having spent years around humans and having witnessed all sorts of human emotions and interactions, Hedwig had a better idea as to what her boy was feeling as compared to his new snake family. 

She could clearly see the turmoil Harry was under and knew just how much it took to upset him to this extent. He had been through so much in his life, and through it all he had almost never been this confused and upset. It hurt her heart to know that her companion was this much at odds with himself. 

“I don’t even know if it’s because of my new instincts or not! I know my instincts see Voldemort as a strong and desirable mate, and they really want me to say yes to this courtship, but how do I know they aren’t screwing with my real feelings about him?” 

It had been so long since Harry had had someone to talk to like this. His mum Hassaria and brother Lash were great, but there was only so much about human concerns and emotions that they could understand. The calming and loving reassurance that he would get from his mum was wonderful, but it really didn’t do much to relieve the tension and confusion inside of him. 

“I hate this! I don’t even know if I’m still me or if I was ever really myself!” Harry was ranting freely now. “There were compulsions on me changing how I would think. Even with them gone I’ll always have to second guess myself because of them.” 

If it weren’t for the fact that Hedwig was now sitting in his lap, he might have gotten up and started pacing. 

“And now with these weird naga instincts I really don’t know who I am! I don’t even know what I want to do with my life anymore!” 

When he had been just ‘Harry Potter’ and attending school, he had thought that he had wanted to be an Auror like his father. He had thought he had wanted to protect his friends from the dangers of the world. He still wanted to protect his friends, but he didn’t want to fight like he had wanted before. Before, he had seen himself as more like a sword ready to cut down his enemies, now he thought of himself more of a shield to protect his friends from the sword. 

He didn’t want to be a fighter anymore, but on the other hand he had no idea what he wanted. If he hadn’t been covered in compulsions, would he have wanted to be an auror before? To be honest he had only really thought about it because of everyone telling him about his dad and what a great auror he had been. Sirius had told him so many stories of him and James fighting crime and taking down bad guys. Ron had been excited over the idea of the two of them working together as partners. 

And it wasn’t like Harry had been given any ideas as to what else he could do. Honestly he had no idea how the magical world worked outside of Hogwarts,quidditch, and the ministry. He knew about St. Mungos, but he had no idea how to become a healer or mediwizard. He knew there were wand makers like Ollivander in the world, but didn’t know if there was a separate school or apprenticeship for the skill. What did it take to be a magical painter? What other sorts of jobs were there in the world that he had no idea about? Could he create his own spells if he wanted to?

“How can I make any sort of decision about my life when I’ve got these stupid instincts confusing the hell out of me anyway? I never asked to become some sort of magical creature! I didn’t want to be thrown away like last week's trash and forgotten about. I never asked for any of this!” 

To be honest, growing up all Harry had ever wanted was to survive long enough until he was old enough to leave the Dursley’s. He’d had all sorts of plans that involved doing better in school when he got closer to turning 17, getting some sort of scholarship, getting into university, and finally being free. When he had gotten his Hogwarts letter and had learned about the magical world, he had thought that maybe he had found his way to get that freedom. Only it had all been a shiny, sparkly death trap. 

Hedwig had been silently listening to her boy, figuring that this was one of those times when he just needed to get everything off his chest. Unlike all the previous times, she could finally give her opinion and perhaps some advice. 

“ _ It sounds to me like you need to be selfish and figure out what you want before doing anything else.”  _ She ruffled her feathers a little and leaned up to rub her head against Harry’s cheek. “ _ Since I’ve known you, everything you’ve done in life has been for others. You fought enemies because it was expected of you, you joined that flying game because others wanted you to, you saved others because it was expected of you, you chose certain classes because others told you to, you returned to your horrid relatives because you were told to.” _

Harry winced as his owl listed one thing after the other. She was right though, almost all of his decisions in his life had been because of others. When had he ever done something because he wanted to? 

“ _ What do you want? If you didn’t have to worry about what other people would think or about what is expected of you, what would you do?” _

_ “ _ I’d say yes to Voldemort.” The answer was out of his mouth so fast that at first Harry didn’t even know what he had said. Despite being angry with the man over everything that he had done over the years, Harry knew now that there was another side to Voldemort. He might not regret killing all those people, including Harry’s parents, but he wasn’t exactly the bloodthirsty monster that everyone had described. Voldemort did have regrets, he did have feelings, and there was even the chance that the man could change for the better if given the chance. 

If Harry said yes to Voldemort, gave the man a chance, he would get the chance to get to know the man on a more intimate level. He would get to see more of Voldemort’s warm and caring side. And if things didn’t work out, Harry knew that he could break up with the dominant naga and Voldemort would allow it. It wasn’t like he would be forever trapped in a loveless relationship if things didn’t work out. 

That sort of choice was something Harry had never experienced before. He knew last year that people had been expecting him to get together with Cho, but after that rather weird kiss he had stopped crushing on the girl. When it became apparent that he no longer had feelings for Cho, people had started suggesting that maybe he should date Ginny. 

Neither of the two girls had been his choice, but now he had a choice. He could go out with Voldemort and decide whether or not the two of them had a chance together. Since only a handful of people knew who he really was, he wouldn’t really feel any pressure for or against the relationship. 

“ _ What else?” _

“I-” Harry had to stop and think. 

“ _ Come now, if you could do anything in the world, what would it be?” _ Hedwig prodded when her boy didn’t at first know what to say. “ _ Big or small, what do you want to do?” _

For several long minutes Harry tried to come up with something. He had never really thought about the things he wanted to do before. Back at the end of his third year he had wanted to move in with Sirius, but that choice had been thrown out the window when Dumbledore had insisted that Harry needed to continue living with his aunt and uncle. 

The last of his anger vanished as Harry floundered under Hedwig’s question. He really did have no idea what he wanted to do in his life, especially if he had no limits or reasons to feel guilty. “I don’t want to fight.” He finally whispered brokenly. 

Hedwig rolled her eyes which caused her head to roll a bit as well. “ _ Yes, yes, I know that. But what else? Think about what you wanted when you were small! You have freedom now to do what you want and a man willing to do anything to make you happy.”  _ Sometimes she had to wonder if her boy ever had a selfish want or need. “ _ Forget about the rest of the world for a moment.” _

It was strange for Harry, to think about Hedwig’s question and to try and figure out what he wanted. He knew that if he stopped worrying about the rest of the world or what his parents would think of Voldemort, he would definitely want to be courted by the man. He also knew that he didn’t want to fight anymore. Harry just wanted to have a quiet and peaceful life. 

There was one thing Harry had always wanted though, something that he had always wanted to try. 

“I...I want to go on a vacation.” Harry’s words were practically whispered as he finally remembered the one wish that he’d had since he could remember the first vacation that his aunt, uncle, and cousin had gone on. 

His relatives had gone to the beach when Harry had turned 4. Dudley had been whining about wanting to go and build sandcastles after watching some American movie, so his aunt and uncle had made plans for them to go away to southern France to enjoy the beaches there. Harry had been left with Mrs. Figg for the week that his family had been gone. 

At first, Harry hadn’t known that his relatives had gone on vacation without him, he had thought that they were just taking a weekend trip away. He had learned the truth of the matter very quickly and when his aunt, uncle, and cousin had returned they had found great pleasure in shoving their trinkets, photos, and stories in his face. 

Ever since then his relatives would make it a point to go on some long holiday excursion without him and come back with even more wonderful things that he was never allowed to touch or play with. He would be forced to polish the pictures of their vacations and listen to them talk about how they had such wonderful times. 

“I’d like to go to a beach, or maybe a museum in some other country? Paris has a really great art museum.” Dudley had always hated going to museums and art galleries, but his aunt Petunia had always taken him so that she could talk about how she was such a great mother for ‘enriching her son’s life’. “Or maybe an amusement park? I’ve always wanted to try a rollercoaster!” 

Just thinking about all the things he wanted to try was getting Harry excited. That excitement faded though as he looked down at his tail. Eventually he would be able to go wherever he wanted, but not until he was able to shift his tail back to his legs. 

The reality of his situation was that Harry was stuck staying at Malfoy Manor until he could pass as human again. He could sneak around where people couldn’t see him, maybe go to the naga tribe or a naga friendly magical town, but it wasn’t like he could just go for a walk to Diagon Alley to get some ice cream. 

“Shit!” Thinking about Diagon Alley reminded Harry that he still needed to contact Gringotts somehow in order to find out if he had anything left in his vault. Voldemort had promised him that he would try to get a goblin to come to the manor, but the dominant naga had also told Harry that goblins were notorious for delaying house calls for as long as possible. He had said it was a display of power for goblins to keep wizards waiting; it was a subtle way to get back at wizards for how most wizards treated goblins. 

“You know what I want?” Harry said as his lips tightened and thinned into a line. “I want to have a go at Ron and Hermoine and find out why they turned on me! I want to know why Mrs. Weasley acted all caring and loving, but wants to force me into marrying Ginny.” He wanted answers and he wanted retribution for what they had tried to do to him. Most of all, he wanted to know why Dumbledore had blocked Harry’s bond with Hedwig and if it had been the old Headmaster who had put the compulsions on Harry.

A sense of relief came to Harry in that moment. Earlier he had felt lost and confused, but now that he had a few ideas of what he wanted, he felt relief and a sense of determination. He wanted the things that he had been denied growing up, but he also wanted answers. The future was still a mystery to Harry and he had no idea what he wanted to do as a career or what sort of goals he should have, but he at least had a starting point to work with. 

First thing was first though; he needed to start whatever healing that needed to be done and he needed to speak with someone from Gringotts about his vault. After that, Harry was sure he could talk to Voldemort about getting everything else that he wanted.

* * *

As soon as the door to his study was shut behind the angered submissive naga, Voldemort slumped down into the vacant seat. He felt the need to chase after Harry, to make sure the boy was safe and wouldn’t get hurt from his magic lashing out, but Voldemort also knew that this was one of those times that Harry needed time to himself. 

Sadly it felt like every time he was making progress with wooing Harry, something would come up to force Harry to slip away again. Things were becoming frustrating for Voldemort, but he wasn’t about to give up. 

“ _ So? What should we do about Harry’s healing?”  _ Voldemort asked as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. 

It would seem that Voldemort hadn’t been the only one worried about Harry’s sudden departure. Anacletus was watching the door leading out the study and he looked like he was about to make a dash for it to chase after the boy as well. 

“ _ Honestly? I would prefer if young Harry were to return to  _ _ Paidiá fidioú with me.”  _ Anacletus had many reasons for wanting the young submissive to come with him back to the Greek tribe. The boy needed so much healing to be done that Anacletus did not feel comfortable leaving the treatment up to a human healer. After hearing about the boy’s life in the magical world, Anacletus did not trust that he would be safe in Britain. 

Although he had known that Healer Anacletus would want Harry to return to the Greek naga tribe, it still angered Voldemort to hear the words spoken. His instincts wanted him to attack the other dominant and to reinforce his claim as Harry’s protector and guardian, but he knew that doing as such would only make the healer that much more against Harry staying. 

So Voldemort grit his teeth and took several deep breaths before speaking. He needed to appear calm, collected, and willing to compromise in order to ensure Harry’s choice on whether or not he would go. 

“ _ If Harry wishes to go to the tribe, I will not stop him. However,”  _ Voldemort’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the head healer. “ _ You will not force the matter if he decides not to go. He has had enough manipulations in his life already, I will not allow him to ever be forced to do something he does not want to. Never again.”  _ After all, Voldemort had made a promise to the boy that he meant to keep.

For what felt like an eternity, Voldemort and Anacletus just stared at each other, waiting for the other to flinch or back down. They were both dominant nagas and they both wanted what they thought would be best for Harry. Neither could show any sort of weakness in front of the other. 

“ _ I concede your point.”  _

Finally, it was Anacletus that finally broke the stare down to glance down at the long list of notes he had taken. The boy needed so much healing, but he also knew that all the healing wasn’t just physical. Uprooting the boy and forcing him away from his home had the potential of ruining any sort of mental and emotional recovery that he might have already had. That and it had the possibility of keeping Harry from ever trusting Anacletus, which the healer could not risk. 

“ _ If Harry does decide to go to your tribe, I will accompany him.”  _ It wasn’t a question or a suggestion, but a statement of fact. Like hell Voldemort was going to send a young unmated submissive naga into an unknown tribe where there were possibly dozens of unmated dominants. Harry would be eaten alive. 

“ _ And if young Harry does not wish to go to my tribe? I understand you trust your personal healer, but I would feel more at ease if someone who specializes in naga healing were to look after young Harry.”  _

Voldemort could understand the man’s point. Although healer Callaway had always done a wonderful job with himself, Voldemort had never needed the extensive healing that Harry would need. Voldemort did not want to risk something going wrong with Harry’s healing all because he insisted on Callaway over someone that knew naga anatomy. 

“ _ I assume you would not be able to stay for the many months that Harry would need your presence?”  _

As much as Anacletus wanted to stay, if the boy decided to not go to the tribe, he knew he couldn’t. He was the Head Healer of Paidiá fidioú and he had responsibilities to his tribe. “ _ I could stay for perhaps a month, to ensure young Harry is settled and doing well, but then I would need to return home. I’ll send for one of my fully trained healers to come and take over for me here.”  _

There were a few healers he had on staff that he would feel comfortable handing Harry’s healing over to. He would need to choose someone who was already mated, seeing as he didn’t want to compromise Harry’s healing with a young unmated dominant who would pursue him. Asking for one of the unmated submissives to travel to the boy was also asking for trouble, seeing as Harry might see a new submissive as someone invading his territory. 

“ _ I have a Potions Master that will be able to make any potions that Harry requires. He is quite talented and so long as he has the correct recipes he can make any potion.”  _ At least Voldemort couldn’t think of any potion that Snape had failed at. 

Although Anacletus didn’t want to trust a human to make naga specific potions, he also didn’t want to risk having potions shipped from the tribe all the way to Britain. Shipping potions would have the same problems as trying to send letters; since they would be coming from a ‘known dark creature location’, the British ministry might feel the need to confiscate the potions. If they found out that the potions were specifically for a naga, they would start asking very dangerous questions.

As loathe as he was to do it, Anacletus would have to just trust Voldemort that his Potions Master really was competent. So, with a small quiet sigh, Anacletus reached into a hidden pocket on his waist cincher and pulled out a simple notebook. 

“ _ These are all the potions that I thought young Harry would need.”  _ He told Voldemort as he held up the little notebook. “ _ I also included a few recipes that might be beneficial to have on hand for the both of you.”  _

Voldemort wanted to just snatch the book out of the other naga’s hand, but he held himself back. 

Anacletus set the potions notebook down on the table and picked up his notes. “ _ I will admit that your healer had a fairly good plan for Harry in place. I’ll need to make a few adjustments, especially for the fine bones in young Harry’s tail.”  _ Sure enough Anacletus was already writing things down on a fresh piece of parchment. “ _ Knowing what I know now of young Harry’s past, we’ll need to be careful around the old wounds that were created by creatures and dark magic.”  _ Which meant they would need to move at a slower pace just to make sure Harry wouldn’t have any adverse reactions to the healing process. 

_ “I noticed his lunch did not have much in the way of cooked foods?”  _

With a small wince, Voldemort shook his head. “ _ No. I assume his long term malnutrition has made it difficult for his body to adjust to his new diet. He can eat some cooked meat, cooked eggs, and some cheese and small amounts of pastries, but nowhere near the amount that I thought he would be at by now.”  _

Anacletus nodded knowingly. “ _ Unfortunately it’s a common enough issue found in young inherited naga that come from abusive backgrounds. I’ll create a nutrition plan for him as well. With his body still adjusting to his inheritance, we’ll need to be careful with what foods are introduced to his diet.”  _

There was one last issue that concerned Anacletus, and it must have shown on his face because Voldemort was quick to inquire as to what was wrong. 

“ _ With how long this will take, it is possible that young Harry won’t go into heat in the spring or that his heat will be at an odd time.”  _ Anacletus rubbed at his chin worriedly. For a submissive, their first heat was more of a way for their bodies to make any final adjustments necessary for physical maturity. It was the first heat that helped to balance out the last of the submissive’s hormones. 

A submissive’s heat was almost always tied to when the weather would start to heat up. In European countries, a submissive naga was expected to go into heat around spring while those in warmer climates could almost always expect to have multiple heats throughout the year. Sometimes it varied from naga to naga, as it did typically vary from snake to snake, but for the most part a heat could be predicted based on location and temperature. 

“ _ If young Harry does not have a heat by early June, I will prescribe a potion to assist with his hormone balance.”  _ If a submissive’s hormones were unbalanced, it could affect fertility and conception rates later on in life. 

“ _ Anything else?”  _ To be honest, Voldemort was starting to feel antsy. With the knowledge that there was another unmated dominant in the manor, he really did not like having Harry so far from him. 

“ _ Has young Harry shed his first skin yet?”  _

To be honest, Voldemort had no idea. Harry’s birthday had been a month and a half ago so the chances of him having shed the skin on his tail were low. Most young newly inherited naga didn’t even shed their first skin until 2 to 4 months after their birthday. For Voldemort, it had taken nearly 6 months before he’d felt the need to return to his naga form to shed the outer layer of skin on his tail. 

“ _ Not to my knowledge. His birthday was on the 31st of July and with how limited his food intake has been, Harry hasn’t really grown that much since his inheritance.”  _ Nor had the boy been injured enough to facilitate the need to shed either. 

Anacletus nodded and made a note at the bottom of the parchment he was using. “ _ I believe after we finish healing the bones in his tail, that young Harry will go through his first shedding. There’s a special oil that will help with reducing the irritation he will feel. My concern is that he will scratch excessively at his tail, like most newly inherited young do, and injure himself.”  _

Which was exactly what Voldemort had done during his first shedding. His legs had bothered him so much for the week leading up to his shedding that he’d scratched gouges into his skin. Explaining the deep scratch marks on his legs to the school mediwizard had been humiliating. 

“ _ We will need young Harry’s decision on whether or not he wants to stay here before we can start.”  _ Anacletus set the parchment down and tidied up the pile of writing implements. “ _ I do not want to move him once we begin vanishing and regrowing his bones. Naga bones are delicate enough as it is, moving him while he’s healing will only put him at risk of breaking the new bones or detaching the muscles and nerves from the newly grown bones.”  _

“ _ We can discuss this with him at dinner.”  _ Which would give Harry a few more hours for himself. “ _ Is there anything else?”  _ When Anacletus shook his head, Voldemort stood up and motioned a hand towards the door to his study. “ _ Then perhaps you should join your apprentice? I have some work that needs to be done and I’m sure you need to update your apprentice on the situation.”  _

“ _ Agreed.”  _ Anacletus handed the stack of parchment and the potions notebook over to Voldemort. “ _ If it is alright with you, I would ask that Altair be allowed to stay the night and then he will be sent home in the morning.”  _

Even though Voldemort wanted to snarl and say no, he knew the better option would be to accommodate the healer. In the long run, having Anacletus on his side would make any future negotiations with the Greek Tribe easier. “ _ Just so long as he is not left alone with Harry, that is fine.”  _ He said as he took the pile from the other naga. 

_ “Of course.”  _ Anacletus bowed and left, following the Dark Lord’s house elf when the little being was called. 

Voldemort was finally left alone in his study, with a pile of paperwork from Anacletus and exhausting thoughts rushing around in his mind. It was just as he was sitting down in his chair at his desk that he remembered the letter from Draco that Harry had received. He might as well read that for a little while and see what the young Malfoy had to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter 35 is up!
> 
> Next chapter will be posted Monday the 28th of December
> 
> Next time: Harry is given a couple days to decide if he wants to stay at Malfoy Manor or head down to the Greek naga tribe. He is not at all happy with the fact that he's going to be on bedrest for several weeks.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry, Voldemort, and Anacletus go over what is going to happen for the next few weeks and Harry finally hears back from Gringotts.

Chapter 36

Harry had a lot to think about after his long talk with Healer Anacletus as well as his talk with Hedwig. He was still feeling some residual anger at Voldemort, but he also knew that if he really wanted to get what he wanted in life, he would need to find a way to get past his anger. 

He knew logically that Voldemort was at fault for a lot of what had gone wrong in Harry’s life, but he also knew that a large portion of those issues could also be blamed on Dumbledore and the old man’s handling of Harry’s life. 

One thing that he did know was that he couldn’t leave Malfoy Manor any time soon. Both Anacletus and Voldemort had asked Harry to take a few days to think over whether or not he wanted to go to the naga tribe for his healing treatment. On one hand he did want to go, to see and learn about the new culture he was now a part of, but on the other hand he was nervous about being around so many strangers when Harry was still getting used to his new instincts and the changes to his body. 

If he did go though, Harry knew that Voldemort would go with him. It was a nice thought, knowing that Voldemort wouldn’t be leaving him alone to try and sink or swim in the world. It would also mean stalling the war for a little while longer since Voldemort wouldn’t be around to run things. 

Then again, if Voldemort suddenly vanished from the scene, Harry knew Dumbledore would become suspicious. The old man was already agitated and paranoid enough as it was, so Harry really didn’t want to risk any sort of attention coming his way, indirectly or otherwise. 

Harry also knew how important this war was to both Voldemort and the Dark faction. It wasn’t all about blood supremacy like he had first thought, but about saving a culture that was slowly being suppressed, giving rights to all magical beings no matter if they were light or dark, and protecting the separation between the magical and the muggle worlds. Harry might not have agreed with the more violent methods that Voldemort and his Death Eaters had used in the past, but he also knew that sometimes bad things happened in war. 

Voldemort had to stay and lead the Dark faction. 

The decision on whether or not to go wasn’t that hard to make. Harry knew that eventually he could actually go to the naga tribe if he wanted to, but for now he needed to stay in Malfoy Manor and see if he and Voldemort could actually have a relationship together. 

Sometime during the 3 days that Harry had been given to think over his decision, Altair had been sent back to the Greek naga tribe. Other than that first meeting, Harry hadn’t even seen the unmated dominant naga, both Anacletus and Voldemort had made it a point to keep the two of them as far from each other as possible; which Harry greatly appreciated. 

The way Altair had reacted to seeing Harry had him wondering if all unmated dominants acted like that. Voldemort had done plenty of staring back when he had realized Harry was really a submissive, but he hadn’t looked at him like he was a piece of meat waiting to be devoured. If anything, Voldemort had been very gentlemanly and polite towards Harry. Maybe it was just younger unmated dominants that acted like Altair? 

Regardless, the man was gone and Harry was able to breathe a bit easier. He still had to deal with avoiding the Death Eaters that wandered around Malfoy Manor, but he was starting to think that they were purposefully avoiding him as well. He should have run into someone, anyone, as he started wandering out of the areas he thought of as ‘safe’, and yet the only people he saw on a regular basis were Voldemort, Narcissa, and even Lucius. It honestly would not surprise Harry if he found out that Voldemort had threatened a painful death to anyone that bothered Harry. 

So here he was, three days later, eating breakfast with Voldemort and Anacletus in the small dining room. 

“ _ Are you sure you wish to stay here for your treatment young Harry?”  _ Anacletus asked for what felt like the hundredth time since Harry had announced his decision. “ _ Once we start-” _

_ “I’ll be on bedrest or restricted light activities for the next several months.”  _ Harry finished as he rolled his eyes dramatically. He had heard all of this several times even before he had told them what he had wanted. 

Finding out that he wouldn’t really be able to do anything once he started his regiment of healing potions and spells was a pain and a half. Harry had been hoping to start practicing with his firebolt again now that he was more acclimated and comfortable at the manor, but Annacletus had vehemently told him that flying was off limits for the foreseeable future. Voldemort, much to Harry’s annoyance, agreed with the healer. Harry didn’t even have to ask his snake mother what her thoughts on the matter were.

Which meant he would probably not be able to have a seekers match with Draco come the winter holidays. 

What really irked Harry though, was that he would also have to delay his dueling lessons. He could learn the theory, but the physical aspect of dueling would be a no go until he had an all clear from either Healer Anacletus or from another one of the naga healers that was supposed to arrive shortly after the head healer left. 

At least his other practical lessons in magic hadn’t been denied. He could still practice his charms and transfiguration so long as he didn’t physically over exert himself. 

Anacletus’ lips quirked a little bit into a smile. “ _ We’ll start with healing and strengthening the bones in your tail.”  _ Which would result in the bulk of the young naga’s required bedrest. Anacletus would prefer to get Harry’s tail healed while he himself was with him instead of one of his other healers; that way he could ensure that the fragile fine bones were properly healed before he had to leave. 

“ _ You’ll be on bedrest for close to 2 weeks while your tail recovers. After that we’ll begin on the microfractures in your spine.”  _

If Harry hadn’t have had magic, the boy probably would have ended up paralyzed early in life. From what Anacletus had determined, from both the medical scans and what Harry had told him, the boy had been repeatedly thrown down and kicked by both his uncle and his cousin growing up. 

“ _ I’ll want to immobilize your spin for the healing process so that you do not unintentionally cause the microfractures to return.”  _ Unlike with healing large bones, like the ones in Harry’s arms, healing small delicate bones had to be done slowly and carefully. This was especially true with the bones in the spine as one tiny slipup or mistake could permanently disable a person or worse, kill them. 

“ _ So more bedrest. Goody.”  _ The sarcasm was practically dripping in Harry’s voice as he glowered at the dining room table. “ _ How long will I be confined to my bed for that?” _

For a moment, a very enticing vision of Harry tied to his four poster bed by silk ropes came to Voldemort’s mind and he had to quickly shake it away. Such little images had been coming to him more frequently recently, probably in response to having had another unmated dominant so near Harry. Having another dominant near Harry had gotten Voldemort’s instincts riled up and now they were doing anything and everything they could to encourage him to pursue Harry with a lot more determination. 

“ _ Another two weeks, three at most. Although the microfractures can be healed relatively quickly, but with them on your spine I want to be extra careful.”  _

Harry nodded in understanding, even though he hated that he would have to stay in bed for so long. “ _ So I’ll be stuck in bed for almost five weeks. Great.”  _ What was he supposed to do in bed for five weeks? Sure he had books, but there was only so much reading he could do before he got bored. Even the fiction books that Draco had lent him only held his attention for a limited amount of time before he had to stop. 

“ _ I’m sure we will be able to find something to keep you occupied.”  _

The way Voldemort had said that had been innocent enough, but to Harry it sounded positively  _ sinful _ . He knew the man was just talking about lesson work or perhaps some sort of entertainment, but Harry’s instincts seemed to have taken the idea in a different direction. After sleeping with the man’s robe and waking up with a very discomforting morning erection, sometimes Harry’s imagination would come up with very interesting and confusing ideas. This time his mind was pulling up images of the two of them cuddling together on Harry’s bed, their tails entwined together. 

It wasn’t the worst thing that his instincts had come up with to date, but it did still leave Harry feeling flushed and awkward. 

“ _ For the first week we are healing your tail, you’ll be on some very strong pain relievers that will make you lethargic.”  _ Anacletus added quickly. 

“ _ Pain relievers?”  _ That was definitely the first Harry had heard of that. Then again he remembered what it had been like to regrow bones in his arm during his second year. 

The naga healer nodded, his demeanor very serious. “ _ Unfortunately we won’t have the luxury of vanishing all your bones in your tail and regrowing them all at once. Serpents and serpent beings all have light weight and fragile bones, and in your case your bones are very brittle from lack of proper nutrition growing up.  _

_ If we try regrowing your bones all at once, your body won’t be able to keep up with both the nutrient drain and magical drain from the rest of your body, not to mention doing things quickly could result in your muscles and tendons not properly attaching to the new bones. We need to monitor the growth of your new bones closely, thus, having to do this in small parts. _

_ With how slowly we will have to heal your bones, the drawn out process will be excruciating. A scheduled regiment of pain relief potions will be necessary.”  _

Up until that point, no one had really explained why Harry’s bones had to be healed so slowly. Madam Pomfrey had done his arm all at once...then again he hadn’t really had much of a choice in the matter. 

“ _ Right.”  _

_ “What other potions will Harry need to take while he is being healed?”  _ Voldemort quickly asked when it was obvious Harry began to close off from the conversation. 

“ _ A nutrition potion with each meal to supplement the nutrients that his body will need to regrow the bones, the pain relievers obviously, a small dose of blood replenishers as many naga that have to regrow bones tend to become anemic during the process, possibly an anti nausea potion if young Harry can’t keep his meals down, and a sleeping draught at night.”  _

That seemed like a lot of potions to Harry. “ _ Please tell me that’s not everyday?”  _

Anacletus gave Harry a sympathetic smile and shook his head. “ _ Unfortunately it is. And that’s just for your tail.”  _

Harry groaned and with a thump, dropped his forehead to the table. By then the left over food and dishes had been vanished by the house elves. 

“ _ For the treatment for your spine, you’ll be immobilized, but not paralyzed. So you’ll still need the pain relief potions as well as the nutrition potions and blood replenishers. As we will be vanishing only one bone at a time in your spine, you might not need the full doses of those potions. We’ll make adjustments as we go.”  _

There was one major question in Harry’s mind and it made him wiggle a little uncomfortably in his seat. “ _ If I’m going to be immobilized...how will I go to the bathroom or eat my meals?”  _

For a moment Anacletus frowned as if he wasn’t sure if Harry really understood the situation. Thankfully it was Voldemort that came to the rescue with an explanation. 

“ _ Only your body along your spine will be immobilized. So your torso and your neck. Since your tail will have already been completely healed, you’ll still be able to move around on your own and you’ll still be able to move your arms and hands.”  _ Voldemort paused before nodding and continuing. “ _ Think of it like one of those body casts that muggles use.”  _

_ “That is not to say you should be moving around at all!”  _ Anacletus interjected. “ _ Going to the bathroom and taking care of your bodily needs will be the extent of your physical activity for the next several weeks. I’ll have monitoring charms on you as well to inform me if you need assistance while moving around.”  _

In other words, Harry was going to be turned into an invalid with babysitters. He sulked and grumbled in complaint even as Voldemort and Anacletus turned to each other to discuss the more intricate details of the coming months. 

“ _ I would also prefer if someone is with you when you bathe. A shower would put too much strain on your upright body, but a bath should help to relax you.”  _

Harry flushed, but nodded. He could understand that logic, even if he had mixed feelings about needing someone to be with him. He did and didn’t want that person to be Voldemort, which left him feeling even more confused.

As breakfast started winding down, the sound of owl wings flapping through the air heralded the arrival of the morning post. Harry grinned as he spotted Hedwig’s lovely white plumage as she made her way over to him. She didn’t have a letter for him, but that had never stopped her from showing up at breakfast to visit with Harry before. 

Thankfully, the elves had left the small plate with little bits of raw meat that Harry had set aside just for Hedwig. 

The two of them were sharing a quiet conversation together, mostly Hedwig telling Harry about her night and Harry telling her about how much he hated how he was going to be stuck in bed soon, when Voldemort cleared his throat at the head of the table. Harry’s head snapped up and he paused mid stroke of Harry’s feathered back. 

In the man’s hand, was a letter made from what looked to be very high quality parchment. When Harry glanced at the table, he spotted the matching envelope that had a broken seal of the Gringotts bank. 

“ _ The goblins finally responded to my inquiries for one of their representatives to come and meet with you in regards to your vault.”  _ Voldemort had sent his letter to Gringotts the morning after breaking the binding on Harry’s and Hedwig’s bond, but it had taken this long to finally hear back. 

While goblins had to put up with wizards coming into the bank and making demands, when a wizard would request a meeting away from the bank the goblins often took their time to reply. Goblins had always hated how it was the wizards that ran the magical world, so whenever they had a chance to have power over a wizard, they took it. 

“ _ Really?”  _ Harry perked up immensely and took the letter when Voldemort offered it to him. He skimmed over the letter quickly and his grin turned into a frown. “ _ They want to meet today? Isn’t that really short notice?”  _

Voldemort sighed and shrugged jerkily. “ _ I’m surprised they aren’t pushing the date back by a few more weeks. Goblins are notorious for making wizards wait for as long as possible for non emergency visits.” _

This was just how the world worked, and Voldemort wasn’t about to try and go up against the goblin nation when he was still fighting a war against Dumbledore and the other light wizards. Truth be told, he wasn’t even thinking of trying to take the goblins on. They controlled the money of the magical world and the first thing the goblins would do if a war started with them would be to claim any and all gold in their bank as spoils of war. 

The wizarding world would take generations to recover from such sudden loss of wealth. Voldemort wanted to take over the world, but he didn’t want to have to rebuild it more than absolutely necessary. He needed people to keep their wealth and he needed the goblins to keep their bank doors open. 

So being forced to wait for the goblins to choose a time to meet was just one thing that Voldemort would put up with. Even if it did make him feel a bit weaker in front of Harry. 

Harry tilted his head and read through the letter again. His thoughts whirled around in his head as he thought about a few things. He didn’t exactly understand what was going on, but he was just happy that he was finally going to take care of his vaults and find out if there was anything left to salvage. 

The letter was pretty straight forward really, all it said was that the goblins would be sending a representative with the requested paperwork for the aforementioned  _ client _ at 1pm to Malfoy Manor _. _ Nowhere did it state Harry’s name, but he just knew they were talking about him. 

“ _ Do you want me to be with you for this meeting?”  _

Harry glanced up at Voldemort and found that the man was looking at him with a soft warm gaze that Harry had slowly been getting used to seeing the last couple weeks. Seeing those crimson eyes staring at him with such a gentle expression did something weird to Harry’s stomach and he had to look away. 

“ _ Maybe? I know I want to ask about my vault and how much Ron spent, but I don’t know what they can even do about it.”  _ Harry huffed and set the letter down so he could go back to petting Hedwig. “ _ Can they even get my money back?”  _

_ “I doubt they will be able to do anything about the funds that Weasley took, seeing as how he had your key. I know they will be able to render your old key useless and can make you a new key, but that’s all I really know.”  _ Honestly, Voldemort hated how he was practically useless in this respect. 

If asked, he would give Harry all the gold he wanted, but he knew by now that the young submissive naga valued his independence and freedom. He had seen how Harry had been uncomfortable when he’d asked about paying Voldemort back for the cost of his new wardrobe, but Voldemort had refused any such thing. 

His argument had been that since Harry had lost practically everything that he had owned, as his protector and guardian it was Voldemort’s responsibility to make sure that Harry was outfitted with necessary belongings. Clothes were definitely necessary in the magical world and were often encouraged to be worn in many naga tribes

Hopefully the boy still had something left in his vault and he would feel a bit better about his situation. 

With that said and done, breakfast came to its conclusion and Harry quickly excused himself to go up to his rooms to grab his broom. He intended to get some flying practice in while he was still free to do so. 

* * *

Much to his mother’s worry, Harry flew around on his broom for several long and enjoyable hours. After his sudden and long flight away from his forest home, Harry had gotten more used to controlling his broom with his hands rather than his legs. He wasn’t ready for the death defying stunts that he usually pulled during quidditch, but he at least could keep his broom steady in the air without worrying about drooping towards the ground or shooting up into the air unexpectedly. 

Shortly before noon a house elf appeared and waved to get his attention. It turned out that lunch was being served and that the Dark Lord had asked that Harry join them for the meal. 

As soon as he was on the ground, Hassaria was wrapped around Harry’s shoulders and squeezing him to the point of being almost too tight. 

“ _ I’m fine mum!”  _ Harry insisted as he handed his broom over to Voldemort’s house elf so that it could be quickly returned to his rooms. “ _ I told you, I’m very good at flying, I just need more practice.”  _

_ “I do not like that flying tree branch”  _ Hassaria hissed as she proceeded to flick her tongue out at her son over and over to make sure he was still alright. “ _ If snakes were meant to fly, we would have our own wings. Do you see any feathers? I do not.”  _

Harry sighed dramatically, but he was smiling all the same. He hated worrying his mum, but he really didn’t want to give up flying. Quidditch had been his first non educational hobby ever and he had always loved the feeling of freedom that being high up in the air gave him. 

During the entire walk to the dining room to have lunch, Hassaria was doing her best to explain why snakes were not meant to fly and why she thought doing so was too dangerous for her precious son. Harry didn’t argue with his snake mum, despite the fact that he thought his broom was perfectly safe. 

His mum was still at it when they finally arrived, which brought a smirk to both Anacletus and Voldemort. Harry flushed when not only did Voldemort smirk at him, but he let out a breathy chuckle. 

“ _ Do not worry too much about your mother,”  _ Anacletus said once Hassaria had calmed down enough to allow Harry to eat in peace. “ _ All snake mothers tend to be more worried about their more human children. It is a trait that the Great Mother gifted to her serpent children to ensure that even her human children would be taken care of.”  _

_ “The book Voldemort gave me said something like that.” _ Harry scowled then as he remembered that he still had a lot of the book left to read. He’d been putting it off and making excuses about having other things to do just so he could avoid getting to the chapters that had more to do with mating. It just felt so weird for him to even be thinking about finding a mate, going into heat, and mating. Knowing that he would also feel the need to be physically close to a possible mate, especially during a courtship, always left Harry feeling awkward and uncomfortable. 

Voldemort snorted softly and he was grinning slightly. “ _ At least your adoptive mother can be picked up and moved. Trying having a several hundred year old basilisk as a parent.”  _ He shook his head as he remembered his own inheritance. “ _ Trying to convince Sheba to let me leave the Chamber to return to school was a trial and a half. She refused to let me leave the Chamber for the first three days and I had to rely on whatever she hunted down for food.” _

It took Harry a moment to connect the dots and realize that Voldemort was talking about the basilisk he had killed back in his second year. He shuddered slightly as he remembered the dark killer whispers of the basilisk in the walls of Hogwarts and how the giant ancient snake had stabbed its fang into his arm. 

Sensing that Harry had become uncomfortable, Voldemort winced and dropped the subject. He had forgotten about what had happened for a moment. To be honest, to him the basilisk really had been like a parent to him. The basilisk had been the first creature to really care about Voldemort’s health and wellbeing and knowing that the ancient snake was now dead hurt. 

Thankfully it was Anacletus that broke the tension in the air. “ _ After your meeting with the goblins, I was hoping to go with you to your rooms.”  _ A quick growl from Voldemort had the healer quickly adding a little more to his statement. “ _ I need to make sure his rooms are set up in such a way that young Harry will be comfortable while he is healing. His potions will need to be placed near his bed, the route to his bathroom will need to be clear of any obstructions, and I would like to install a hanging bar above his bed that can be lifted and lowered so he can sit up without the need of assistance.” _

The narrowed glare that Voldemort was giving Anacletus softened ever so slightly, but he still did not like the idea of another dominant being in Harry’s room; even if that dominant was already mated. 

“ _ I also know of a transfiguration that will create a table that can slide over a bed to give a person a desk to use. That way you won’t be forced to use a lap desk and put any pressure on your tail.”  _ The naga healer continued to say even as he pretended to ignore the glare he was getting from the Dark Lord. 

“ _ Once the goblins have gone, we shall all go to Harry’s rooms to make sure everything is satisfactory for his healing.”  _ Voldemort finally said, his voice stiff and very serious. “ _ Snape will have the first batch of potions that Harry will need finished in 2 days' time.”  _

Harry perked up a little at hearing that. He had been expecting to start the whole ordeal tonight or in the morning, but if he still had two more days then he was definitely going to get more flying in while he had the chance. Maybe he would even go check out the pool Narcissa had shown him the other day when she had finally given him the full tour of her home. 

Conversation dimmed to light intermittent chatter while the three nagas ate their lunch. Like always, Harry’s meal was mostly made up of very rare or raw meat but both Voldemort and Anacletus also had a couple sides that smelled absolutely amazing. 

Harry couldn’t wait until he was healthy enough to be able to eat cooked food again. 

At five minutes to 1, a house else popped in to inform Voldemort that the goblin representative would be arriving shortly. As the house elf vanished, so did the dirty plates on the table. 

“ _ Do you want me to join you for this meeting Harry?”  _ Voldemort asked gently as he stood up from his seat. “ _ I’ve set things up in my study so you’ll be able to keep your conversation private.”  _

Did Harry want Voldemort to be with him? He had no real idea about what to ask, but he also wanted to be able to take control of his life. Voldemort had done a lot for him over the last few weeks, and Harry was sure he had spent quite a bit of money, and it left Harry feeling like he was becoming too reliant on Voldemort’s kindness. Harry had always been independent in his life and he had grown used to taking care of himself over the years. 

“ _ How about I wait nearby and if you need me, you can send for me?”  _ Voldemort suggested when Harry seemed to struggle with his answer. 

The nervous breath he had been holding left him in a whoosh and Harry nodded gratefully. He really did want to take care of things with the goblins himself, if only so he could feel even a little bit more in control of his life. 

“ _ Very well.”  _ With that decided, Voldemort motioned for Harry to leave the dining hall with him. “ _ Healer Anacletus, I’m sure you can entertain yourself for the time being?”  _ It wasn’t really a question, and Voldemort didn’t even stop to get an answer. He just waved once with his hand and the door shut behind him and Harry. 

Memories of the last time Harry and Voldemort had made their way up to the man’s study to meet with a guest came back to Harry as the two navigated the halls and stairs. He felt just as nervous now as he had then. Would he have any money left, what with Ron having gone on his spending sprees? Would the goblins be able to help him get some of his money back or at least to get a new key? 

Harry chewed on his lip as he tried to organize his thoughts. If he didn’t have any money, how was he going to be able to get Voldemort any sort of gifts once they were courting? He wanted to be in an equal relationship and not just be spoiled because he was a submissive. 

It was more than just wanting to be able to buy gifts though; Harry wanted to be financially secure enough to not have to worry about being on his own. If he decided he wanted to be on his own and leave Britain, he would need money. The best way to get money was to get a job. Could he even get a job if he didn’t graduate from Hogwarts or get his NEWT’s? Perhaps getting lessons from Voldemort and his chosen Death Eaters really was in his best interest while he stayed at Malfoy Manor? 

“ _ Harry.”  _

Harry hadn’t realized they had stopped just outside Voldemort’s study until he felt a hand on his shoulder and a gentle voice near his ear. He flushed when he found Voldemort leaning down to speak to him quietly. 

“ _ Everything will be alright Harry. If the goblins cannot help you, I will do what I can in their place. If you do not want me to give you money, I will help you to find alternative ways to find income.”  _ Voldemort’s eyes were a smoldering crimson and the intensity had Harry’s tail feeling all tingly. “ _ You are not alone and you have both my support, Snape’s support, and the support of the Malfoy family. So head up,”  _ Voldemort tapped a finger under Harry’s chin “ _ and stand strong.”  _

Harry sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He felt lighter somehow, and a little bit of his trepidation left him. He could do this. Even if he had been left with nothing, he would survive. If worse came to worse, he might be able to sell his venom to Snape as a potion ingredient.

With that thought in mind, he turned and quickly opened the door to Voldemort’s study. The goblin was already waiting inside the room, a large binder on the cleared off Dark Lord’s desk. 

“You’re right on time.” The goblin said with a very intimidating and sharp toothed smile. 

Harry felt Voldemort’s hand one last time on his shoulder before the man gently nudged him further into the room. The door closed behind Harry with a soft click, leaving Harry to face one of the most bloodthirsty beings in the magical world. Alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG you guys! I completely forgot in my rush last week to tell you guys about the awesome fanart SSST has!
> 
> [ReaperJay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperJay/pseuds/ReaperJay) made an awesome drawing of [naga Harry](https://www.deviantart.com/reaper-jay/art/Naga-Harry-Potter-864496721?ga_submit_new=10%3A1608367938)
> 
> Also help-me-im-in-the-fandom over on Tumblr made a fanart of [Naga Voldemort and Naga Harry](https://ethrildragon.tumblr.com/post/635608546199928832/i-love-your-fanfic-snake-tails-and-serpent-scales) cuddling. I've got that pinned on my tumblr for everyone to see. 
> 
> Ok! So next chapter will be posted Monday the 4th of January. It'll be the first chapter of the new year. 
> 
> Next time: Harry and the Gringotts goblin have a chat.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry finally meets with a goblin from Gringotts to go over his money situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big news, please read the end chapter notes.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 37

Unsure of any sort of procedure he was supposed to follow, Harry went with what he figured to be the common sense of greetings. He bowed a bit to show respect to the goblin before quickly making his way over to the seat behind Voldemort’s desk. 

“R-right, so, um…” Harry cleared his throat as he sat down and awkwardly motioned for the goblin to take the seat across from him. 

Harry felt a momentary thrill at the idea of sitting in  _ Voldemort’s  _ chair, but he pushed it away so he could focus on the goblin. 

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I-I know it’s really inconvenient to have to come to someone’s house-”

The goblin sneered a bit but held up a hand to stop Harry from talking. “House visits are a service that Gringotts provides for its loyal customers. That said, it is rather surprising to find someone such as yourself in a place like this, looking the way you do, and accompanied by such interesting companions.” 

Seeing the rather crazed grin that the goblin was giving him had Harry swallowing nervously. As quickly as the goblin grinned, it was gone and he was sitting and looking at Harry with as much professionalism as he would any other vault holder. 

“Before we discuss anything, Gringotts has a strict confidentiality code. We will need a drop of your blood to confirm who you are.” With that said, the goblin reached into the binder and pulled out the top piece of parchment as well as a very small and  _ very  _ sharp knife. 

“Prick your finger and let the blood drip onto the parchment.” 

The goblin wasn’t even handing the knife over to Harry, just pointing the edge at Harry over the parchment. He eyed the sharp point a little nervously, but he did reach out and push the tip of his finger against the tip. The knife was so sharp he didn’t even feel the break in his skin at first. 

Blood welled up against the silver metal of the blade and dripped down through the air and onto the parchment with a soft pitter patter. Harry pulled his finger away quickly, intent on sticking the bleeding digit into his mouth to try and staunch the bleeding, but to his surprise the cut was already healing. 

Harry was distracted from his already healed finger by the sight of the drops of blood thinning into lines across the parchment. The lines shifted and slowly curved until red words formed in place of the blood. 

  
  


_ Name: Harry J. Potter _

_ Born: July 31st, 1980 _

_ Father: James F. Potter (deceased) _

_ Mother: Lily J. Potter née Evans (deceased) _

_ Age: 16 _

_ Blood status: Half-blood _

_ Species: Naga (submissive) (previously human) _

Seven little lines were written on the parchment. It felt rather anticlimactic if Harry was being honest with himself. He was half expecting a long list of relatives or guardians, a list of any vaults he might have and how much gold he had, as well as any titles or something. Instead he got seven little lines with the most basic of information on him.

“Very good Mr. Potter. We can begin.” The goblin snatched the parchment away and right before Harry’s eyes, he burned it in midair. He then began cleaning and polishing the knife that still had a smear of Harry’s blood along the tip and blade. “I am Vault Manager Ergun. What I just had you do was a simple blood test to verify your identity.” 

“Ok.” Really, what else was Harry supposed to say? He wasn’t upset at all and he completely understood the need to confirm if a person was who they said they were. 

“When the Dark Lord made the request for a goblin from Gringotts to come and meet with a guest of his, we thought nothing of it at first.” Ergun the goblin was saying as he meticulously cleaned the knife until it was positively shining. “Then he sent a coded message with a house elf informing us that the guest in question was one Harry Potter and that we needed to keep that fact secret. Well, we became very intrigued.” 

Ergun paused for a moment to slip the knife back into its sheath, but he didn’t immediately put the knife back into the binder. 

“I must inform you, Mr. Potter, that Gringotts does not choose sides in wars that do not directly concern the goblin nation. We do not care who you side with or your reasons for doing so. We do not care about your creature status or your blood status. We only care about your gold.” Ergun laced his fingers together and set his hands on the desk before him. “With that in mind, how can Gringotts help you today?”

Harry slumped in his seat as he felt the worry that had been weighing him down lift. He hadn’t realized how worried he had been about how Gringotts would take him becoming a naga or being in the same house as the Dark Lord. 

“This summer, my key was given to Ronald Weasley by Albus Dumbledore. I had no idea that this happened or that Ron was spending my money.” Harry explained slowly and carefully. “Is there anything that can be done about getting those funds back? Since I didn’t authorize his spending or even know that he was using my key?” 

The way the Ergun pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes gave Harry his answer even before he said anything. 

“Unfortunately not. Once a key is in a wizard’s possession, it becomes their responsibility. It is up to the wizard or witch in question to come to Gringotts in order to get a replacement key should theirs becomes lost or stolen. Any transactions made with that key cannot be undone, unless the money is transferred from one vault to another within Gringotts.” 

Ergun reached into his binder and pulled out a neatly bound stack of papers. He took a few minutes to read through the papers before shaking his head. “The wards on your vault state that money was withdrawn, but not transferred.” 

In other words, the money Ron spent was gone. 

“I understand. I had to ask.” Harry slumped in his seat and looked at the desk for a moment sadly. He had felt so betrayed when he had found out that his supposed best friend had stolen from him, but now he just felt tired and mad at himself. He should have seen the signs, or at least he should have not ignored them. 

For years Harry had known Ron had envied his fame and money. Whenever they had gone out to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, Ron had always subtly moved his purchases to Harry’s stack and Harry had always paid for his things because he hadn’t really thought to say anything about it. During the tournament all Ron ever seemed to think about was the money that Harry would get if he won. 

The signs had all been right in front of him, and yet he had chosen to believe that Ron, as his best friend, must have cared more about him than his money. 

“If you wish to pursue Mr. Weasley for theft, we can recommend several law wizards for you.” Again Ergun gave Harry a rather crazed grin that had Harry wishing there was more than just a desk between them. “Gringotts keeps a few highly skilled law wizards on retainer for situations like this.”

“I-I’ll think about it.” 

Harry chewed on his lip. That was something he hadn’t considered at all! After he’d found out that naga were banned in Britain, he had kind of stopped thinking about getting any sort of vengeance for his treatment, but after he got his legs back he could possibly get in touch with a solicitor. He’d think about it later. 

“Of course.” Ergun nodded and then folded his hands on the desk again. “As you did not approve the use of your key, I will assume the key was never returned to you?” 

As Harry shook his head, Ergun reached back into the binder, which Harry now assumed was bottomless, and pulled out a single sheet of parchment. 

“Fill out this form and place another drop of blood by your signature. Once you have done so, Gringotts will make you new keys to your vaults and have the connection to the old keys terminated.” 

Harry took the offered parchment and then reached for the quill that was sitting next to a pot of ink. He was just writing down his information when something that Ergun had said stopped him. 

“Vaults?” He set the quill down so that he wouldn’t drip ink onto the parchment. “I only have one vault.” 

Ergun shook his head and with a huff he reached back into his binder and pulled out yet another sheet of parchment. “That is incorrect. You, Harry J. Potter, are the primary owner of 3 vaults and a secondary owner of a 4th vault.” Ergun set the parchment down on the desk and turned it so Harry could see the four numbers listed. Next to each vault number was a date and a name. He only recognized the number to his own vault. 

“The first vault was set up by Ambrose Potter in 1477, 3 years after the founding of Gringotts.” Ergun pointed at the first vault number 193, and there was a not so subtle hint of pride in his voice. “That is the Potter family vault and anyone of Potter descent can contact the current head of the Potter family and request access. Although, you will not be able to access the monetary value of the vault until you are 17 years of age, which is the standard age for inheritance laws.” 

Ergun then pointed to the next vault, the number that Harry first recognized. “Vault 687 was set up by Fleamont Potter for his son James Potter, who then named you as primary key holder shortly after you were born.” 

He smirked and on a goblin such a smirk looked rather dark and sinister. “It is a trust vault and an allowance of 1,000 galleons is transferred into it from the main Potter vault on the first of every month.” Ergun paused and quickly looked at some of the older pages of parchment in the stack he had pulled out earlier. “Although it seems that your parents deposited a large amount shortly before they died so the allowance transfer was put on hold.”

“Why would it be ‘put on hold’?” Harry frowned in confusion. He really had no idea how the banking system worked. 

For a moment Ergun had to look at the older pages before he had the answer. “Fleamont Potter set a cap of 12,000 galleons per year on his son’s trust vault. Once that cap was met, all transfers from the main vault would be paused until the amount dropped below 11,000 once more.” The goblin shook his head at the ridiculousness of wizards. 

“I believe Fleamont Potter’s idea was to teach his son how to handle his finances on his own. He would get a set amount every year and it would be up to his son to spend or invest it.” 

“Did...did you know my grandfather and father?” By the way Ergun the goblin spoke, it really did sound like he had known the two men. 

“Not personally, but yes. Your grandfather was a shrewd businessman that made his fortune early in life. Your father on the other hand was reckless with money when he was young and only seemed to understand the importance of keeping track of his finances shortly before he died.” Ergun’s words were blunt, but professional. He was a Vault Manager after all, he had to know his customers in a professional manner. 

Ergun tapped the parchment with the numbers once more. “This vault was set up by Alphard Black for Sirius Black to use as his personal vault shortly before he graduated from Hogwarts.” He pointed to vault 711 that had Sirius’ name next to it. “As he named you his heir, the vault transferred to you upon his death and you have immediate access to it.” 

Tears built up in Harry’s eyes as he stared down at Sirius’ name. He knew, realistically, that Sirius would have had a vault, but Harry hadn’t really thought about it. In fact he hadn’t thought about what would have happened to anything Sirius had owned after he died. None of that had been important to Harry when he’d lost his godfather. 

“Mr. Potter? Are you well enough to continue?” There was no hint of care in the man’s words, but they had Harry nodding quickly and wiping his eyes before the tears could fall. “Very well. This final vault.” 

Harry looked at the last set of numbers listed and frowned when Albus Dumbledore’s name was written right next to them. 

“This vault was set up by Albus Dumbledore on November 2nd, 1981 for the sole purpose of storing all gifts, monetary or otherwise, and letters for you, Mr. Potter. Although you do have access to the vault, Albus Dumbledore has primary control.” Ergun once more reached into the binder he had brought with him and pulled out a stack of bound parchment. “Every year, Albus Dumbledore transfers some of the monetary funds to one ‘Petunia Dursley’ for the purpose of ‘financial reimbursement for the care of Harry J. Potter.”

A vase over on the fireplace mantel suddenly shattered with a loud crash and it took Harry every ounce of his control to reign in his magic. He was getting better at it, controlling his magic before it could get too out of control, and Anacletus had promised him that his magic would settle down after a few more months of his body adjusting to his inheritance. 

Even so, he didn’t feel at all bad for that little slip of his magic and his temper. The fact that his aunt had been getting money for taking care of him, all the while complaining about how much he cost them on a regular basis, royally pissed Harry off. 

At least he could take some comfort in knowing that Dumbledore hadn’t been giving his relatives money out of Harry’s own vault. 

“Please fill out this form and place a drop of blood on the line indicated.” Ergun said, not even paying attention to the broken vase or the boy’s abrupt momentary loss of control of his magic. 

As quickly as he could, Harry finished filling out the form, mostly putting his name and date where necessary, and pricked his finger once more until a drop of blood dripped. As soon as his drop of blood touched the paper, there was a small flash of light from the parchment before it went back to normal. 

“There. All your previous vault keys, besides the one to the vault Dumbledore is the primary owner of, have been disconnected from your vaults. Three new keys will be forged and sent to you within the next couple days.” Ergun took the parchment back and was about to slip it back into the binder. “Unless you would prefer to have a single master key for your three vaults?” 

Having a single key would make life a lot easier. So Harry just nodded and watched as Ergun made a minor notation on the parchment before putting it away. 

“Now then,” with that piece of business out of the way, Ergun set the first two stacks of parchment in front of Harry and pulled out an additional two. “These four stacks represent all transactions from each vault in the last ten years. If you want any older transactions, you will need to come to Gringotts in person and request access to archives associated with your vaults.”

The first stack was probably the second thickest of the lot, even with only about ten pages or so. On the top of the first page was the vault number 193 and listed him as the primary owner. After that was the amount of galleons, which had Harry’s eyes bulging slightly. 

According to the paperwork in front of him, Harry had over a million galleons in the main Potter vault. He didn’t even look at the numbers for sickles or knuts. What was interesting, was the fact that it looked like there were some heirlooms inside the vault as well, which a small note that a full listing of all artifacts and heirlooms can be requested for a small fee. 

“Nothing has been withdrawn from the main Potter family vault in over ten years.” Harry could hear Ergun saying even as Harry glanced through the list of transactions. The most recent one was for a withdrawal of 1,000 galleons to be deposited into the Potter trust vault at the start of September. That told Harry that Ron had spent enough money to drop the amount in Harry’s trust vault to below 11,000 galleons. 

The transactions after that were deposits made each year for various things. One recurring one was for an investment into what Harry assumed was a potions company in China. Another was marked as a royalty payment for several individual potions. The last recurring payment into the account was to a piece of property that made rental payments once a year in large amounts. 

“At the time of your grandfather’s death, James Potter was given control of the family vault. He made several large recurring donations to something called ‘The Bird Fund’. Those donations were stopped after your father passed away.” Ergun told Harry even though the transaction logs didn’t go back that far. “Albus Dumbledore has tried several times over the past several years to get the donations to start again, but he did not have access to the Potter family vault, unlike with your trust vault.” 

Harry knew exactly what the ‘Bird Fund’ was and it pissed him off that Dumbledore was trying to take his money to fund the Order. Just because his dad had been giving money to Dumbledore did not mean that Harry wanted to do that too! 

“Since all outgoing transactions were stopped and no new investments were being made, the Potter family vault has only been increasing at a slow rate the last decade.” Ergun, like all goblins, disliked when vaults went too long without any growth. Although the goblins did not own the gold themselves, they viewed all gold under their care as valuable to the goblin nation. 

“Although you cannot withdraw any of the monetary funds until you are 17, you do have the option to make investments through Gringotts and you can remove any artifacts that you are interested in.” That was the end of the information Ergun had for the Potter family vault. So he pointed to the next pile, which was smaller than the one for the family vault. 

This one was Harry’s trust vault. He winced in pain when he found that there were only 1,872 galleons left in his trust vault. According to the transactions, Ron had somehow been able to spend close to 23,000 galleons over the summer. All Harry could think about was the fact that he could have lived off that much in a small apartment for several years! Instead Ron had wasted it on who knew what. 

“As I stated earlier, there isn’t anything we can do about the money withdrawn and spent by Mr. Weasley.” Ergun stated as he watched the young man read down the list. “However, moving forward you can blacklist certain people from ever having access to your vault, even if they do get ahold of your key in the future.” 

“Let’s definitely do that.” Harry said as he read through each transaction. The first couple pages, which were the most recent transactions, were mostly made up of Ron going in and taking out a bag full of galleons, sometimes multiple times a day. After that, he found one withdrawal from Molly during Harry’s 4th year, which he was glad to see that she had only taken out enough for his dress robes and nothing more, and the rest were just what he took out for his school supplies every year. 

If Ron hadn’t gone on his spending spree, Harry would have been set for several years after Hogwarts if he couldn’t find work. After his first year, which had required a larger amount of money as he had needed to buy more than just books and supplies, Harry had spent maybe 500 galleons or less a year. 

On the last page, was the first transaction that Harry had ever made. Nearly a thousand galleons on his first trip into Gringotts. Before that, it looked like nothing had happened to his vault. It would seem Dumbledore hadn’t thought to use Harry’s money, and even though Harry felt relieved about that he couldn’t help but wonder why. 

“Before James and Lily Potter went into hiding, they deposited an extra 15,000 galleons into your trust vault on top of the 12,000 galleons that were already there.” Ergun explained seeing as how the transactions only went back 10 years and the Potters had died nearly 15 years ago. 

“I believe it was a safety measure to ensure you would have extra funds for your care should the worst happen. Especially seeing as how at that time you would not be allowed access to the Potter family vault until you turned 17.” 

Harry looked up from the pages in his hands and his eyes narrowed. “I’m a little confused. You said I couldn’t access the money in the Potter vault until I turn 17, but I could take out artifacts. I’m only 16 though.” He pointed out slowly, unsure of why he was even being told of these other vaults if he didn’t even have access to them. 

The grin Ergun gave him was what Harry could only describe as smug. “That would have been true, had you not been forced to honor a magical contract to participate in an event that only of age wizards could participate in.” That smirk deepend and the goblin showed off his sharp teeth. “You have had limited access to the Potter family vault since you were 14.”

That smile vanished and quickly turned into a frown. “Did you not receive our notice? We at Gringotts had assumed you had decided to wait when you did not arrive to be given the key to your family vault.” 

For several long minutes, Harry just stared blankly at the goblin. He had to think back to every moment that he had ever gotten mail that wasn’t from his friends, but never once could he remember ever getting anything from Gringotts. 

Slowly, Harry shook his head. “If you sent me anything, I never got it.” 

The goblin fell silent and there was a look of concern and shock on his face. “This is troubling. The owls that Gringotts uses are trained above and beyond that of a common post owl. Not only that, but very specific magic is used on them to allow them to travel through any and all wards.” The only way a person would not get a letter from Gringotts, was if they were redirecting their mail to another location. 

“Has any of your mail been intercepted in the past?” 

Almost instantly Harry was hissing and snarling angrily. He knew of two years when his mail had been messed with; once by Dobby and the other because of Dumbledore. Harry doubted Dobby would try to get involved again, especially since Harry had asked him to never do it again. Now that Harry knew just what kind of person Dumbledore really was, he wouldn’t have been surprised if the man had stopped the letters from the bank. 

“Did Dumbledore show up after you sent the notice to me?” Harry asked, his mind starting to connect dots now that he had more info. He had a feeling about something, and he definitely wanted to check. 

Ergun nodded. He too was starting to come to a realization. “He did. Not right away, he came about a month after we sent you your notice. He claimed to have come on your behalf and gave us a letter from you stating you authorized the donations to the Bird Fund to start back up.” Ergun smirked as the boy snarled. He rather liked the show of violence that the boy was giving off. “We denied him of course. Such transactions can not be completed without either the vault key or the presence of the vault owner. A letter is not at all acceptable.” 

“You didn’t give him the key to the Potter vault, did you?” Harry was afraid to ask, but he had a feeling that he really didn’t need to be worried. 

With a violent shake of his head and a deep sneer, Ergun denied the question. “Of course not. Keys can only be given to confirmed vault owners. In the case of your trust vault key, your parents had it in their possession when they died. I assume that is when Albus Dumbledore got his hands on it.”

Even with the bad news of how much Ron had spent, Harry was getting more good news from the goblins. He still had a lot of money, more than he had ever hoped to have, and now it was safe from the likes of Ron and Dumbledore. 

“To continue,” Ergun tapped at the third stack of paperwork in front of Harry. “From 1980 to 1993, the vault belonging to Sirius Black was locked and sealed. This is done to all vaults belonging to someone who has been imprisoned in Azkaban. Keys are magically summoned back to Gringotts and kept until the owners come to the bank to retrieve their keys once they leave the prison.” 

That would explain why the oldest transaction in ten years was from just before Christmas in 1993. Harry felt tears in his eyes as he realized just what that meant for him. That had to have been when Sirius had gone to get him his new firebolt after his Nimbus had been destroyed. The first thing his godfather had bought after being in prison for 13 years, had been a present for Harry. 

Sirius had taken out about 1,500 galleons just before Christmas and he had gone and bought Harry the best broom on the market. He could have just gotten Harry a replacement Nimbus 2000, but he hadn’t. 

After that, there were some small transactions here and there, and little notes that the galleons had been converted to muggle money, but nothing as expensive as that first withdrawal. That was, until June 1995. 10,000 galleons had been transferred to a vault belonging to Remus Lupin, 2,000 galleons had been transferred to a vault belonging to ‘The Bird Fund’, and 2,000 galleons had been transferred to Nymphadora Tonks. 

“Those last three transactions were done at the behest of Sirius Black’s will.” Ergun explained gently. “Afterwards, the vault and the rest of its contents were transferred to your ownership. A notice was sent to you in regards to Sirius Black’s will reading, but Albus Dumbledore told us that you were too distraught to come.” 

Harry growled and quickly wiped away the tears that were building up in his eyes. “Albus fucking Dumbledore is at the top of the Blacklist.” 

Ergun grinned with all of his sharp teeth showing as he took out the necessary paperwork to start the Blacklist for Harry. ‘Albus Dumbledore’ was the first name to be added, much to the goblins' glee, and he watched as Harry added quite a few names after the old man’s. 

“The final vault.” Ergun momentarily set his quill down so he could tap a long clawed finger on the largest of the stacks of paperwork. “You can’t legally do much with the money in this vault without authorization from Albus Dumbledore, since he is the one that started the vault. The non monetary gifts on the other hand, you are free to take and do with as you please as they are your property.” 

“Will Dumbledore know if I’ve taken things?”

“No.”

It was a simple and straightforward answer, and Harry felt wonderful to get it. Most of the transactions were deposits, either as money or objects, but the money that was taken out was always done by Dumbledore and either to the Bird Fund or to Petunia Dursley. Harry was barely holding onto his temper over the fact that his aunt had gotten money for his care. 

“Is it possible to get everything that’s not money transferred into, say, the Potter family vault?” Harry asked Ergun. Since he could go into the vault and take out any items that weren’t money, he would feel better if everything was put into the Potter family vault.

Yet another sheet of important looking parchment was pulled from the binder and slid over to Harry. “Sign here and place a drop of blood by your signature to authorize the transfer.” He waited until Harry had done so. “A full accounting of all objects, artifacts, and heirlooms will be made as the items are moved. Once the transfer is complete, Gringotts will send you the final list.” 

“The letters.” Harry chewed on his lip. “You said the vault had letters in it?” 

Ergun nodded knowingly. “If you would like, we can have all the letters sorted, checked for magic, packed, and brought to you here.” He had to wonder if the letters from Gringotts itself had somehow ended up in the vault, or if Dumbledore had gotten them somehow. 

Harry wasn’t sure if he really did want the letters. He was sure a lot of them were fan letters or something similar, and he was pretty sure a lot had to be hate mail as well. Harry wouldn’t have been surprised if a lot of the letters were cursed somehow. 

“I think…” He chewed on his lip in thought for a moment. “I think maybe just sort them and send anything official looking to me? I’ll make a list of people that I would want the letters from.” 

Although it wasn’t something that Gringotts normally did, Ergun knew that it could be done. “There will be a fee involved.” 

“I’m sure it won’t be too bad, so any fees can be taken out of one of my vaults.” 

More paperwork was brought out and Harry quickly signed everything after reading over what he needed to. He also made a list of anyone that he might want a letter from if they had sent him anything. 

“Now then. Those transaction ledgers are yours to keep and review, as well as this file.” Ergun was in the process of putting the paperwork away, but he stopped to pull out a file with several sheets of parchment inside. “This file lists all properties in your name, where they are located, and any information as to what has been done to the properties since they became yours.” The goblin set the file down on top of the stack of paperwork that Harry was to keep. 

“Gringotts doesn’t really handle property that cannot be placed in vaults, but we were asked to keep these deeds safe until you were old enough to use them.” With that said, he finished cleaning up and stood up. “If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Gringotts. If you need another home visit, we will let you know when our earliest availability is.” 

“Oh!” Harry was up and out of his seat as the goblin promptly stood up and made to leave. “Thank you again! You coming here, it means a lot to me!” Harry felt so relieved now that he knew he still had money, a lot of money, and that he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone sticking their grubby hands into his vaults again. 

Ergun’s sneering smile softened and he nodded his head. “Of course, Mr. Potter. Your family has been loyal to Gringotts since its founding. It would be remiss of us to not do what we can to assist you.” The goblin bowed slightly before turning and marching out of the study, leaving the young naga wizard standing there in a bit of a daze. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys! So the big news is that our house is almost done being built! We get the keys on February 4th. That said, I'm going to be taking February off from posting so that I can dedicate that time with packing/painting/moving/etc. It's going to be a busy month since I'm the one going to be doing the majority of the moving prep. 
> 
> I'll remind you guys about the month hiatus when we get closer to February, but I just wanted to let you know about it now. There is a chance that I might post an update mid February, but I can't make any promises. 
> 
> For now though, the next chapter will be posted Monday the 11th of January. 
> 
> Next time: Harry and Voldemort talk and Harry makes a bold move forward in their relationship.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry talks to Voldemort about the things he learned from the goblin and then makes a rather surprising demand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who commented this last week! Even if I don't comment back, please know that I treasure every comment. Even if they're angry key smashing gibberish or just a 'kudos' comment. I giggle every time, much to the confusion of my cats. 
> 
> Also, thanks for understanding about needing to take February off. We're slowly packing up the house, but a lot of our belongings can't be packed until last minute or will need to be packed/moved day off due to KEEPING THE CATS OUT OF THE BOXES. I have lost count of how many times I've had to chase Arya away from boxes because she insists on chewing on the corners.
> 
> Also, yes I do know that Kraytor has started translating SSST. We discussed it and I gave them permission to translate so long as they posted the translation on AO3. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for helping to protect SSST

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 38

Voldemort knew immediately when the goblin left, seeing as how he had been waiting out in the hall, and not most definitely not pacing with long strides of his legs. He has been staying close to his study just in case Harry had needed him. It would seem his worries were for naught though when the goblin came out, gave a small bow, then left. 

The meeting with the goblin had barely taken an hour and a half, and Voldemort wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It could mean that there was nothing Gringotts could do for Harry, and that’s why the meeting was so short. It could also be that Harry hadn’t known what to ask after his initial inquiries. 

Standing in the hallway wouldn’t give Voldemort any sort of answers to his questions though. He would need to go into his study to see if Harry was alright. 

When Voldemort slowly and cautiously opened the door, he found that Harry was sitting behind his desk with a folder open in front of him. The boy’s were wide and looked to be slightly gazed as he stared blankly down at the documents in front of him. 

“ _ Harry?” _ As slowly as he could move, without startling the young submissive, Voldemort stepped into his study and shut the door behind him. With the door shut, Voldemort shifted his legs to his long white tail. “ _ Would you like to talk?” _

It felt like it took an eternity for the boy to pull his gaze away from whatever documents he was looking at. He blinked slowly at Voldemort a few times before he seemed to realize that the older naga was asking him something. 

“ _ Sure?” _

Voldemort frowned as he came up to his desk and took the seat that the goblin must have been using. Asking Harry to switch seats didn’t seem like a very smart thing to do at the moment and besides, seeing the young submissive using Voldemort’s ‘spot’ had his instincts preening somewhat. 

“ _ What seems to have you so out of sorts?”  _ Voldemort asked as he folded his hands together on top of his desk. 

For a long time, Harry just continued staring at his paperwork before he slowly set it down and pushed the folder towards Voldemort. 

The contents of the documents perplexed Voldemort. They were just simple deeds to various properties, so why was the young naga looking like he was at a loss for words? 

“ _ Before I was introduced to the magical world, I thought I had nothing. No family besides my horrid aunt that didn’t want me, no money, no possessions, and definitely no land.”  _ Harry slowly explained after taking several deep breaths. “ _ When I was 11, I found out I had money. At 13 I had a godfather. And now I have 4 deeds to 4 different properties.”  _

Having grown up with absolutely nothing, other than the few belongings he got from the orphanage and what little he could afford with the allowance from Hogwarts, Voldemort could understand what Harry was feeling. To have gone from nothing to more than you could dream of could definitely make anyone stop being able to think for a while. 

“ _ Ron spent over 20 thousand galleons out of my vault.”  _ Harry snarled a little, still angry over the fact that someone that he had thought to have been his friend could do such a thing to him. “ _ But it turns out it’s just a trust vault and when it falls under 11 thousand galleons, the Potter family vault deposits 1k into it every month until it maxes out at 12k again.”  _

_ “Well that’s at least some good news.”  _ Voldemort murmured comfortingly. It was better news then he knew Harry was expecting. 

Slowly, Harry started to tell Voldemort everything else that he had discussed with the goblin. He showed Voldemort each stack of documents one by one, pointing out the various transactions of interest. When he got to the vault Dumbledore had set up, Harry was grinning vindictively. 

“ _ I’m getting all of the items moved into my vault. Turns out Dumbledore only sees the monetary transactions. Since all the artifacts and such are legally mine, he can’t keep them from me.” _ Harry was actually really looking forward to finding out exactly what he had. Who knew, maybe he could find something to give to Voldemort as a courting gift. He might end up selling whatever he didn’t want or need too.

Voldemort frowned as he read through the vault that Dumbledore had started. “ _ Shouldn’t the money also be yours?”  _

_ “Well, yeah, but since Dumbledore is the primary vault owner for that one he can see if I do anything with the money.”  _ Harry shrugged. He didn’t exactly need the money, especially since he would be getting quite a bit when he turned 17, so he wasn’t that too concerned about it. “ _ I don’t want him knowing that I know about that vault. So might as well leave the money alone so he doesn’t have a clue.”  _

_ “Ah. Of course.”  _ He really should have thought of that before the younger naga told him, but then again, Voldemort was a bit distracted by said submissive giving him such a breathtaking smile. 

“ _ So with the thousand galleons in my trust vault, and the 60 thousand in the vault from Sirius, I’m pretty good financially and when I turn 17 I’ll have access to the Potter family vault.”  _ Harry probably wouldn’t even need to touch the family vault even after he got access to it. “ _ I just...have no idea what to do with these now.”  _ Harry pointed at the four deeds that were still in front of Voldemort. 

“ _ I’m never going to go back to Godric’s Hollow.”  _ The reason why should be more than obvious. “ _ The house in Hogsmeade is being rented by an elderly couple that have been living there since before I was born.”  _ So he wasn’t really going to do much with that, not when it was being used. “ _ I would like to go visit this one. It’s a one bedroom cottage by the seaside. I’ve always wanted to go to the beach.”  _ Harry whispered that last part, not really noticing that Voldemort had perked up a bit when he’d said that little wish. 

The house would need to be checked first to make sure there were no monitoring spells or other spells on the house, just to make sure Dumbledore wouldn’t find him accidentally. 

Voldemort looked at the picture of the little seaside cottage. It looked quaint, definitely a vacation home, with a little yard and a white picket fence that had a gate that opened up to a small staircase that led down onto the beach. Now that he had that little tidbit of knowledge, that Harry wanted to go to the beach, Voldemort was already coming up with all sorts of plans. 

“ _ This one though-”  _ Harry couldn’t even say the name of Grimmauld Place, seeing as how it was still under a fidelius. Then again, the name of the building was printed clearly, in black and white, on the deed that Voldemort was holding. 

Harry chewed on his lip. Should he say anything about Grimmauld place? The Order was still using it as a base of operations, and Harry felt really conflicted about that. If Voldemort knew about the place, would he openly attack it just to try to get at the Order? Would Voldemort even be able to find it thanks to the fidelius? The address was there on the document. 

“ _ This is the Black family home.”  _ Voldemort lifted the deed in question up as he stared at it contemplatively. He’d visited it once or twice in his youth, back when he and Orion had been in school together. Orion had been younger, of course, but still he had invited Voldemort over when the Dark Lord had been gathering power. “ _ Orion grew up there, and Walburga moved in with him shortly before they were married.”  _

Voldemort was about to say something more, but suddenly his mind went blank and he couldn’t seem to finish what he was trying to say. He blinked for a moment then frowned deeply, he had just been trying to say the address of the Black family home, but the name had just slipped away from him. He looked down at the documents in his hand to find the name staring up at him from the parchment. Yet even as he read it multiple times, he couldn’t seem to keep it in his memory or say the damn name. 

The reason for his inability to say it came to him suddenly and he groaned softly. “ _ It’s under a Fidelius charm, isn’t it?”  _

Voldemort didn’t even need to look at Harry for confirmation. Just the fact that he could recall his memories of visiting the house and yet not remembering the location was enough evidence. He could recall the general location, he could even remember the street, but the exact address? Just slipped from his mind like water through his fingers. 

The Fidelius must have been placed sometime after the first war, seeing as how Voldemort had been invited to visit and meet Orion’s sons quite a few times. He had turned down the invitations each and every time, he saw no point in meeting children, and hadn’t been back at Grimmauld place since his old classmate had gotten married. 

Perhaps Sirius Black had placed the Fidelius after he had gotten out of prison? It would explain why no one had ever found him. And it would explain why Harry knew of the place and yet could not speak of it. Only the secret keeper could talk about a place that was under the Fidelius charm after all. 

“ _ Well, whatever the case may be, you do not have to make any decisions at this moment.”  _ Voldemort told Harry as he stopped thinking about the Black family home and the fidelius on it. “ _ You have plenty of time now and the properties have been left without your guidance for the last 15 years. Another month or year will do no harm.”  _

Harry bit his lip and nodded slowly. What Voldemort said was true about the first three properties, Harry could probably leave them alone and nothing would happen, but that left him thinking about Grimmauld place. The Order was still using it as a headquarters, that much was obvious based on the descriptions of the memories Voldemort had seen through Hedwig. Knowing what he did about Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, and Molly Weasley, Harry really didn’t like that they were still in Sirius’ home. 

Despite the fact that Sirius had hated the place, it had still been his home and it had still held meaning for him. As much as Sirius had complained about the place, Harry had seen the little sparks of fondness and warmth when he’d tell happier stories of his childhood. Harry felt the same way about the Dursley’s home, now that he thought about it.

Harry hated his relatives, but there were little things about number 4 that he would never forget, such as the rose bushes he had carefully cultivated for years, the tree in the backyard he used to climb when he was still small enough, and the park just down the road that he used to hide out in. Despite all his bad memories, and there were a lot of them, Harry still had a few treasured ones that he wanted to hold onto. 

Grimmauld place had been Sirius’ home and the people that had betrayed Harry were still there. If there was one thing in life that Harry knew for certain, it was that Sirius would have ripped all those traitors a part for what they had done to Harry. 

Knowing that, Harry wanted to kick all of those idiots out of Grimmauld place and try to find and save some of the artifacts that had been thrown out even against Sirius’ wishes. 

He just needed to figure out how. Perhaps he should talk to Narcissa? She used to be a Black and she might know of some ward or spell that would be on Grimmauld place that Harry could use. 

“ _ Harry.” _

Hearing his name being spoken so softly had Harry looking up from the deed for Grimmauld place. Voldemort was starting at him, his brows wrinkled with worry and his lip quirked ever so slightly into a frown. Harry must have gone quiet for a while and had stopped paying attention to have made the older naga look that worried. 

“ _ I’m alright.” _ Harry whispered as he started gathering up the various piles of paperwork to stack them all together. “ _ I’ll be alright.”  _ He amended with a small grin when Voldemort’s own frown deepened. “ _ Really. I think the last couple months are just finally catching up with me.”  _

That was something that Voldemort could completely understand. Other than the few times Harry’s magic had lashed out, the boy had really kept himself rather calm and collected. If it had been Voldemort in his situation, he would have probably gone on a killing spree. Learning that so much of his life had been a lie or that so many things could have been avoided, must have been a lot for Harry to even begin to comprehend. 

And just today he had learned that his money troubles weren’t nearly as dire as he had feared and he owned 4 pieces of property when he probably only expected to have 1 to his name. Then again, had anyone ever actually told Harry that the boy owned the house in Godric’s Hollow? 

Sensing that perhaps Harry needed a distraction, Voldemort stood up and took the pile of paperwork that Harry was fiddling with. Without a word, Voldemort summoned an expanding leather file folder and carefully slipped the paperwork into it. Once that was done he snapped the flap closed and handed it over to Harry. 

“ _ Perhaps you can speak with Lucius about your finances during your lessons?”  _ Voldemort’s suggestion earned him a groan from the younger naga and he couldn’t help but grin a little sadistically. “ _ Come now, all young heirs must learn how to handle their families finances. It’s a lesson that I’m sure Lucius had to teach Draco so he would know what to teach you as well.”  _

The distraction worked as instead of looking gloomy and lost, Harry was now glaring at Voldemort and there was a none to subtle pout on his lips. “ _ I’m sure he will also have quite a few ideas on how to invest your money, as well as how to handle your properties. I hear Lucius Malfoy has quite the portfolio under his control.”  _

That earned him a scowl from the boy and Voldemort couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute a scowl looked on the boy.

“ _ And after you speak with Lucius about growing your money, you can talk to Narcissa about spending it! According to Lucius, his wife’s greatest skill is making money disappear.”  _

There was a twitch to Harry’s scowl now and Voldemort knew the boy was trying to keep from smiling. 

Yes, distracting Harry had been a very good idea. He was no longer morose or staring at his paperwork as if it were written in some foreign language, and now he was looking much more lively. 

“ _ That’s fine.”  _ Suddenly the boy was grinning mischievously and Voldemort felt his cheeks heating up without his say so. “ _ I’ll ask Narcissa to teach me by spending your money first.”  _

Harry laughed happily at the affronted look that Voldemort gave him, the tension he had been feeling over his finances and lack of any plans leaving him for the time being. Voldemort was right, he had time to think about things and he didn’t have to worry about what to do until he was ready. 

His laughter tapered off when Voldemort’s gaze turned almost predatory. The man’s eyes were a burning red as he stared so intensely at Harry. The dominant naga was leaning forward over his desk, his hands braced on the edge as he came closer to Harry.

“ _ We’ll need to be courting before you can spend my money.”  _

Those words were a low and deep rumble in Voldemort’s chest and the sound made Harry’s cheeks turn a bright cherry red. The way Voldemort grinned at Harry, with his sharper than normal teeth on display, had Harry’s heart hammering in his chest and not from fear. Once again Harry was reminded that Voldemort was actually a very handsome and desirable man. 

There was a need there, in Harry’s heart, to lean forward across Voldemort’s desk and to meet him halfway. The sudden want to know what it felt like to kiss the older man came to Harry and he could feel himself almost giving in. His instincts were fighting tooth and nail against his human mind, wanting him to just give in and finally say yes. 

Before Harry could fall and just say to hell with it, Voldemort pulled back and straightened his robes. The sound of the older man clearing his throat broke Harry out of his trance and he quickly sucked in a deep steadying breath. Feeling that his cheeks were practically on fire and that he was actually leaning forward a little, had Harry wishing he could just slither under the desk and hide. 

His embarrassment must have shown on his face, because he could distinctly hear Voldemort chuckling under his breath. 

“ _ Come, we shouldn’t dawdle anymore. Healer Anacletus is waiting to meet with us.”  _

The scowl had returned to Harry’s face, but this time it was accompanied by a bright red blush. It had taken until that moment for Harry to realize that he and Voldemort had been  _ flirting  _ with each other! Sure Harry had never gotten the chance to learn how to flirt, but he knew what it was! And he was almost absolutely sure that Voldemort had been flirting with him and that somehow Harry had been able to flirt  _ right back. _

And then the idiot teasing Dark Lord had pulled away when Harry had actually been about to go in for a kiss! 

Honestly, the entire thing left Harry feeling very confused. Had he been reading the signs wrong? He had been pretty sure that Voldemort had been trying to initiate a kiss, what with him leaning forward and flirting. But then again, what did Harry know? It had taken Cho physically manhandling him for him to get the hint that she had wanted to kiss last year. Then again, that kiss had turned into an absolute disaster. 

“ _ Harry?”  _

Fed up with his confusing emotions and what he was sure to be mixed signals, Harry huffed and refused to move out from behind Voldemort’s desk. After his talk with Hedwig, Harry felt better about his feelings towards Voldemort, and he was pretty sure he was almost ready to take the next step. There was just one thing he wanted to know first before he could say yes or no to Voldemort.

“ _ Kiss me.”  _ The words were out of Harry’s mouth before he could get control over his frustration. He froze instantly for a second after that, surprised that he had actually said it, before he shrugged mentally and glared at Voldemort until he got a reaction. 

The naga book had made it a point to talk about how naga were physical beings, needing to be close to their intended partners in order to get to know them. He had read about it time after time and Harry knew the book had been right. He had been feeling the need to be close to Voldemort, to lean against him when they were sitting near each other, to hold his hand when they were walking, and now he was wanting to kiss the man. 

While at school Harry had heard all sorts of stories about couples that had known whether or not to keep dating based on that first kiss. He’d experienced a kiss with Cho and had quickly realized that he actually didn’t have feelings for her after that kiss. 

If he was ever going to say yes to Voldemort, Harry needed to know what kissing the other naga would be like first. 

“ _ I want you to kiss me.”  _ Harry stated a little more firmly, once he made up his mind. The first demand had been an impulse decision made from frustration, but the more he thought about it the more he decided it was what he wanted. 

Time stood still as Harry glared with determination at Voldemort and the man stared in shock right back. 

“ _ Harry...you’re not ready-” _

_ “It’s my decision!”  _ Harry snarled, quickly interrupting Voldemort before the man could even finish what he was saying. “ _ I want you to kiss me! I need-”  _ There was a small tremor in Harry’s voice and he was quickly losing the courage he had felt moments ago when he’d first made his demand for a kiss. “ _ I need...to know what it’s like.”  _

The kiss with Cho had been horrible and Harry had felt absolutely nothing from it. How could he even know if he loved someone, if he ever could love them, if he didn’t even like to kiss them? He didn’t even know if his feelings for Voldemort were real or if they were just coming from his instincts. 

Harry’s head dropped and he looked down to where his balled up fists were against the desk. “ _ How can I know if we would even work if we can’t even kiss?”  _

From the corner of his vision, Harry watched as Voldemort slowly made his way around the desk. He felt a gentle hand brush against his shoulder, but he kept his head down. 

“ _ Harry.” _

The hand on his shoulder gently nudged and turned him until Harry’s body was facing Voldemort. Then he felt a gentle curved finger beneath his chin, pushing up with just enough pressure to get Harry to look up. 

Green eyes met red. Harry stared up into Voldemort’s eyes and only then realized that there were tears blurring his vision. 

“ _ I want to kiss you, so much, but you’re not ready right now.”  _ Voldemort told the younger naga slowly. “ _ You’ve been overwhelmed by everything you’ve learned the last couple weeks and your emotions and instincts are making things even more confusing for you.”  _ He pressed his thumb against Harry’s lip and slowly traced the soft skin back and forth. 

This was not the time that Voldemort wanted to have this discussion. He’d been thinking about it for awhile now, and he had come to the conclusion that he had rushed his offer of courtship. Harry was not ready for something so life changing, and Voldemort should have had better control over his instincts. Instead he had given in and placed even more pressure on the younger naga when the boy was already on the verge of a major breakdown. 

“ _ It’s obvious you are still conflicted with yourself, and that is my fault.”  _ Voldemort cleared his throat softly before continuing. “ _ I will not take back my offer of courtship, but I want you to take more time to think things through. Let me find a way to prove to you that I do care and that it is not just my instincts that want you as a mate.”  _

Speechless didn’t even come close to describing what Harry felt right then. 

“ _ Your instincts will settle with time, even if you do not give me an answer.”  _ Those words were spoken as fact and Harry couldn’t help but nod along. “ _ If at the end of the month you still wish it, I will give you a kiss.”  _ Harry almost whimpered when the thumb that had been pressing against his lip went away. “ _ But take a little more time to think things through. For both of our sakes.”  _

The bubble of frustration that Harry had been feeling popped and suddenly he felt exhausted. He felt calmer than he had a few minutes ago when he’d first demanded Voldemort kiss him, and he could feel his instincts calming down. The frustration he had been feeling must have been coming from his instincts! Which Voldemort must have realized even though Harry hadn’t until that moment. 

Harry nodded and he looked away in embarrassment. 

“ _ You really should finish the book I gave you.”  _ Voldemort chuckled softly as the boy started to shift around a little awkwardly. “ _ If you had, you would know that a newly inherited naga’s instincts and emotions tend to go from one extreme to the next rather chaotically for the first few months. You feeling like this is perfectly normal.”  _

_ “It’s bloody annoying.”  _ Harry grumbled, irritated at how hormonal he was acting while around Voldemort. 

Again Voldemort chuckled and he shook his head slightly. “ _ I completely agree with you. Now imagine what it would be like while attending Hogwarts.”  _

The disgusted wrinkle of Harry’s nose and lips was enough to make Voldemort laugh a little louder and he gave Harry’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before letting go. 

“ _ We need to go, Anacletus is waiting on us.”  _

Even with Harry calmer and more in control, Voldemort knew he and the younger naga needed to have a longer conversation about the feelings between the two of them. It would wait for now, but Voldemort knew he wouldn’t be able to put it off forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter 38! Were you surprised with Voldemort's reaction? Don't worry, they will kiss, eventually. 
> 
> Chapter 39 will be posted Monday the 18th of January. 
> 
> Next time: Harry starts the healing process. And fluff


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry starts his healing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thank you to everyone that has commented, left kudos, and have supported SSST. You guys are the reason I continue writing my fics! 
> 
> Just to let everyone know, Snake Scales and Serpent Tails is being translated to Russian by [Kraytor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kraytor/pseuds/Kraytor). They have complete permission to do this so no worries on that front! Kraytor and I worked everything out long before translation began.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 39

It took three days for Snape to finally finish the first round of potions that Harry would need, three days that Anacletus took to make sure everything was ready for when Harry would be bed ridden. The naga healer had gone over the potion regiment, what they should expect when Harry started his treatment, and made triple sure that Harry’s room would be absolutely accessible for Harry once he was restricted to only light physical activity. 

During those three days, Harry had turned into quite the angsty teenager and had taken to either ignoring the adults around him or throwing tantrums when he was reminded that he wouldn’t be able to do the things he normally did. The only ones that seemed to be spared from his tantrums were his snakes Hassaria and Lash, as well as Nagini. Even Narcissa had seen first hand what Harry was like when he was reminded that he wouldn’t be able to do anything ‘fun’ for the next several weeks.

Voldemort really couldn’t blame Harry whenever the younger naga’s temper flared up. If their positions had been reversed and Voldemort was to be bed bound for weeks on end, he too would be annoyed and angry. At least the boy would have things to do, like his school work that would be assigned to him once they started up his lessons, it was more than Voldemort had been able to do while he had been a wraith in the wilds of Albania. 

The only thing that seemed to calm the boy down was the fact that Voldemort had made adjustments to the boy’s window to allow his owl familiar to come and go as she pleased. That way Harry wouldn’t have to call for a house elf to open his window. 

Voldemort also installed a rather nice perch for the owl next to Harry’s bed, well within the younger submissive’s reach so he would be able to pet his owl. 

Another thing that was done to make things easier for Harry, was that his books were charmed to float to him from their places on his shelves with just a call from Harry. It gave him just a smidge more independence while he was stuck relying on others to help him. 

For the three days they waited for the potions to get done, Harry spent almost all of that time outside either in the warded garden or flying with his owl. 

And then the three days came to an end and Snape arrived with the required potions. He came in the early morning to drop off the potions and give Voldemort a quick report of what was going on at the school before leaving to return so he could teach his morning classes. 

After breakfast, which Harry was only allowed a light portion so that he wouldn’t get sick from the potions, the young naga was settled on his bed and made as comfortable as possible. Voldemort had watched from his place standing at the head of the bed as the naga healer vanished the first set of bones in Harry’s tail. 

To reduce the risk of damage to the healing bones and the muscles and cartilage that would be attaching to the new bones, Anacletus had decided they would only vanish one section of bones from Harry’s tail every 12 hours. They would start at the tip of Harry’s tail, where the least amount of damage was, and work their way up. 

It was so strange and unnerving seeing the first half a foot of Harry’s tail deflate and become, literally, boneless. Voldemort winced and shuddered as he could only imagine what it must have felt like, but the vanished bones didn’t seem to bother Harry at all. What did bother Harry, was the first dose of the skele-grow that Anacletus handed to him. 

Harry took the potion and then immediately took the specially designed pain potion that would keep him from feeling much of anything while his bones were regrown. The downside was that the pain potion made Harry rather lethargic and tired. 

A strict schedule was implemented after that. Every 6 hours Harry was to take a full dose of the pain potion. At every meal, Harry was required to take a nutrition potion, an anti-nausea potion, and an appetite stimulant. After his breakfast and dinner, he also needed to take blood replenishers. After dinner, Harry would take a dreamless sleep potion, if he needed it, that would knock him out for 8 to 12 hours. Usually he slept the full 12 hours. 

At the 12 hour mark, Anacletus would check the progress of the bones in Harry’s tail. If the new bones were fully healed, Anacletus would vanish the next 6 inches of Harry’s tail bones and they would begin the process again. If the bones weren’t where Anacletus wanted them to be, he would hold off for another couple hours before checking again. 

As much as Voldemort wanted to be by Harry’s side every minute of every hour, he couldn’t. He had his own responsibilities and duties to attend to, not to mention plans that he had to put into place. Since he couldn’t be with Harry all the time, he did the next best thing; he placed a monitoring charm on Harry. 

It wasn’t anything too intrusive. The spell just kept Voldemort informed whenever Harry was awake or asleep, or if he was trying to get out of bed. It wasn’t like Voldemort could hear what was going on in Harry’s room or see anything. Voldemort had used a rather simple monitoring spell that most parents knew and used on toddlers and small children. 

For the most part Harry was good and did as he was told, staying in bed and calling for a house elf or one of the dominant nagas in the house whenever he needed to go to the bathroom or needed help with something.

Much to the boy’s embarrassment, it was in fact Voldemort that would help him take a bath. All Voldemort did was carry Harry to the bath, help him out when he was done, help him dry off, and then carry him back to his bed. Voldemort didn’t actually get into the bath with Harry at all. That would probably change once they were healing Harry’s spine and he was partially immobilized. 

And that was their routine for the first three days. 

* * *

Sometime around 2pm on the fourth day of their new routine, Voldemort was startled by the monitoring charm he had on Harry. He had been in the middle of a meeting with a couple of his lower ranked Death Eaters that worked in the ministry when the monitoring charm went off and informed him that Harry was no longer napping and was struggling in his bed. 

Fearing that maybe someone had broken into Harry’s rooms, which shouldn’t be possible with the protective wards up, Voldemort raced out of his meeting hall. He completely ignored his followers, who had quickly gotten out of the way and watched stunned as their leader practically ran out the door. 

He was up the stairs and halfway down the hall when the monitoring charm went off again to inform him that Harry was partially out of his bed. 

“ _Harry!”_ Voldemort threw open the door to the boy’s room, his wand in his hand and raised ready to fight whatever intruder was attacking his mate!

Only to find that there was no intruder. Instead he found Harry, his tail still tucked into the blankets on his bed while his upper half was hanging over the edge with his head and shoulders against the floor. The boy was panting and little whimpers were escaping him. 

“ _Oh Harry.”_ Voldemort swiftly strode into the room, his wand vanishing back into its holster. It was easy to figure out what had happened now that Voldemort wasn’t in a panic. 

The boy must have been having a nightmare, and by the look of the sweat on the boy’s chest and the wide eyed look of startled fear, it must have been a bad one. 

Worried that perhaps the nightmare had been about him, Voldemort stopped only a couple feet from Harry. 

Seeing the small submissive shaking and looking around in fear had Voldemort’s instincts rioting. He needed to comfort his mate and make sure he was alright! But at the same time Voldemort didn’t want to risk harming his mate by making him have a panic attack. 

The decision was made for Voldemort on what to do when Harry whimpered and reached out a hand towards him, his eyes wide and rimmed with unshed tears. 

Almost as soon as Harry silently asked for help, Voldemort was scooping the smaller naga into his arms and settling them both down onto Harry’s bed. 

“ _I’m here, my darling, I’m here.”_ Voldemort crooned softly as he fought the urge to shift his legs into his tail. If he did that, he would be too tempted to wrap around Harry’s own tail which was still in the process of regrowing a new set of bones. 

He felt as Harry curled into his embrace, pressing his cheek and forehead against Voldemort’s chest and clinging onto his robes with both hands. There was a light dampness that was slowly getting through his robes, which meant Harry was silently crying into his chest. 

Voldemort’s chest became tight and he had to swallow hard several times to keep from asking Harry about his nightmare. He was unsure about what he should do though. When he’d had nightmares as a child, he had always wished that he had someone to hold him and comfort him. So that was what Voldemort did. He wrapped his arms around Harry and held him close, gently rocking the two of them back and forth. 

At one point Voldemort spotted Anacletus hovering in the doorway, but a small shake of his head had the naga healer nodding and leaving, closing the door gently behind him. 

Holding Harry was a comfort to Voldemort. Knowing that he was doing something to help the submissive he wanted to be his mate helped to calm Voldemort’s need to protect Harry. 

“ _Hassis has been sleeping restlessly for the past few hours.”_

If Voldemort hadn’t been as controlled as he was, he might have jumped at the soft hissing that was on the pillow on the other side of the bed. He should have remembered that Hassaria had chosen to stay in bed with Harry, against the boy’s insistence that she didn’t need to do that, but his sole focus had been on getting to Harry and protecting him. 

“ _He did turn down the dreamless sleep potion last night.”_

Anacletus had been hesitant when Harry had turned down the potion, but at the same time they had to be very careful with the dreamless sleep. That sort of potion had addictive properties and ingredients in it that if used too often, would require a long and potentially harmful detox. There were other potions that Harry could take, to help him sleep, but each and every one of them had the addictive potential. 

Dreamless sleep was the best of the lot, all things considered. 

“ _I tried to wake him, but…”_ Hassaria hung her head sadly. This wasn’t the first time her beloved hatchling had gotten nightmares, and each time she had found it extremely difficult to wake him. It was as if something was holding him down and forcing him to stay in the nightmare for as long as possible. 

Voldemort nodded understandingly. As much as he hated to accept it, nightmares were important tools for the subconscious and a person couldn’t choose to ignore them all the time. Knowing that a mind healer could help though had Voldemort more determined to convince Harry to start speaking to one as soon as possible. 

The young naga eventually stopped crying, but his fingers were still digging into the dark robes that Voldemort was wearing. Every time Voldemort shifted, even if it was just to get his legs more comfortable, the boy would cling and whimper so very softly. 

To calm Harry, Voldemort started gently running his fingers through the long wavy tresses that were messy and knotted from Harry’s disturbed sleep. Whenever he was met with a little knot, he would carefully work at it with delicate fingers before resuming his gentle brushing. 

Eventually, Voldemort felt Harry shifting against his chest. The smaller naga let out a shaky breath and very slowly released his death grip on Voldemort’s robes. 

Much to Voldemort’s pleasure though, Harry did not move away from the man’s chest. 

“ _Are you in any pain?”_ Voldemort asked softly, testing the water to see if Harry was emotionally aware enough to talk to him. 

Perhaps he had asked too soon. Harry didn’t answer right away and he didn’t even acknowledge that Voldemort had even asked him anything. It was possible that the boy was running on instincts, like he had been when he had confronted Snape. If that were the case, getting any coherent words from Harry would be a little difficult. That and there was a very real possibility that Voldemort would be trapped in Harry’s bed with him. 

Not that Voldemort was really going to complain. 

“ _A little.”_

Just as Voldemort was contemplating tapping into their connection to try and sense if Harry was in pain, those two little words were barely whispered. They would have been missed if the two hadn’t been as close to each other as they physically were. 

Without a moment of hesitation, Voldemort flicked out one hand and wandlessly summoned one of the half doses of pain potions for Harry. He couldn’t take a full dose, not yet at least, but a half dose would tide him over for the next couple hours. 

Despite the potion being held less than a couple inches from him, Harry didn’t seem to want to move from Voldemort’s chest to grab the little glass bottle. Any movement that would have Harry leaving Voldemort’s embrace had the boy freezing up and burrowing against the man’s chest. 

Voldemort felt a ripple of amusement, but he knew how important it was that Harry take the pain potion. The boy’s instincts had to have been riled up if he was being this clingy and causing such a dilemma. Which meant the boy was physically tense and that would only put more strain on the muscles in his tail. 

An idea came to Voldemort as he tried to find a way to get Harry to take the potion without the boy needing to move too much. Swiftly, but carefully, Voldemort maneuvered Harry around until the boy was sitting sideways in his lap. Harry’s cheek and ear were now pressed against Voldemort’s chest, but now his mouth was clear of the dark robe. This also forced Voldemort to wrap his free arm around Harry’s waist to keep the boy from wriggling around. 

Once they were both settled into the new position, Harry willingly took the potion from Voldemort and swallowed it down. The now empty bottle was taken back and Voldemort banished it to a wooden box set aside for the empty potion bottles. 

Within seconds, the tension that had been Harry’s shoulders released and the young naga let out a little breathy sigh of relief. The pain must have been worse than he had told Voldemort if he was having that obvious of a reaction. 

“ _Better?”_ Voldemort couldn’t brush at Harry’s hair as easily in this position, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. Harry’s hair was exceptionally soft and every time his fingers moved through it, Voldemort got a whiff of the peppermint shampoo that Harry favored. 

“ _Much.”_

For a long time, Voldemort and Harry stayed like that, the younger naga settled across Voldemort’s lap. Both men seemed content to just silently hold onto each other. 

Eventually someone had to say something though. Voldemort still had work to get done with his followers and, now that Harry was awake, the boy had his studies to get started on. They were starting slowly with Harry’s school work, since his potions were making him more tired than normal, but at least one person came into Harry’s room a day to work with him on at least one subject. 

“ _My Hassis?”_ It was Hassaria that finally broke the silence in the room. She had been curled up to the side, watching as Voldemort held and comforted Harry, which Voldemort had greatly appreciated. Now she waited until her precious son was looking at her before she said anything more. 

“ _You need to tell him.”_

Instantly the teenager in his arms tensed up again and Voldemort frowned in worry. He had a feeling he knew that the old adder was telling Harry to talk about his nightmares, but Voldemort wasn’t really sure if now was the best time. His young submissive had just taken a pain relief potion and was finally relaxing after his nightmare. 

Yes, eventually Voldemort wanted to know what it was that had gotten Harry into such a state as to turn to him for comfort, but Voldemort could wait. 

“ _He needs to know. As your potential mate, he has a right to know what those_ Beasts _put you through.”_

Those words seemed to knock some sense into Harry and the young naga finally realized just what sort of position he was currently in. His cheeks flamed red and he squirmed a bit as if to get off of Voldemort’s lap. He would have, but after the sudden panic Voldemort had felt when he had thought someone was attacking Harry, Voldemort did not feel calm enough to let the smaller naga go. So Voldemort tightened his arms around Harry’s waist and growled softly in warning. 

Instantly Harry stilled, but he started pouting up at Voldemort even as his face turned even more red. 

“ _Voldemort knows enough about my past. I just want to get on with my life!”_

By the sound of the long sigh that the adder let out, Voldemort imagined this sort of argument was common between the two of them. 

“ _At least tell him about your nightmare. Please Hassis.”_

Up until that moment Harry had been bound and determined to just push the nightmare away and pretend that it hadn’t happened. The nightmare hadn’t been anything new, but the mental images coupled with the pain of regrowing bones had stressed Harry to the point of him rolling out of his bed. 

Falling out of bed had woken him up, but he had still been confused about where he was and what was going on. So when Voldemort had come into the room and Harry had caught his dominants scent, all Harry had wanted in that moment was to be held by the older naga. If anyone could keep him safe from his nightmares, Harry knew it was Voldemort. 

“ _I won’t force you Harry, but your mother is right. Talking about what upsets you will help.”_

And what was Harry supposed to say in response to that? He’d never actually gotten to talk to anyone about his problems at home. The one time he’d told Ron and Hermoine that his family weren’t as loving as everyone thought they would be, his friends had acted sympathetic. 

The only thing that had come of his talk with Ron and Hermoine, had been Dumbledore telling him that he needed to return to the Dursley’s because of the bloodwards. Harry had been able to leave the Dursley household earlier in the summers after that, but not before he’d been subjected to at least a month of hard labor and being treated like a slave. 

Neither Ron or Hermoine brought up his home life much after that though. 

So Harry had closed off about his home life and decided not to bring it up again. It was obvious that no one really cared about what happened to him during the summers, so why subject himself to disappointment time and time again? 

But here was Voldemort, his life long enemy turned protector, offering to talk to him about his life. The man was willingly making himself available to Harry’s tragic life story even though Harry wasn’t willing to open up. 

“ _There’s not much to tell.”_ Harry said slowly, much to his mother’s hissed annoyance. “ _My nightmares are just nightmares. I…”_ How was he supposed to talk about how he would dream of his uncle beating him to death in his old room while his ex friends would watch from the hallway? 

Silence settled between them as Voldemort tried to wait as patiently as possible for his small submissive to continue. After a while of watching Harry trying and struggling to find the right words, Voldemort decided to take charge of the entire conversation. 

“ _I still have nightmares of the orphanage I grew up in.”_ As much as it disgusted Voldemort to even think of that horrid place, he knew he had to say something. He had to show Harry that talking about what was wrong was better than keeping it all in. 

Until Voldemort was able to find a mind healer that he could trust, he had to be the one that Harry could talk to about these things. 

“ _It’s been nearly 50 years since I was last there, and yet that place still haunts me.”_

Harry swallowed hard and he dropped his gaze to his lap. If Voldemort was still having nightmares about his own childhood after such a long time, then what hope did Harry have of ever leaving the Dursley’s behind him? 

“ _They’re not as bad as they once were, but once in a while one will come along.”_ He took a moment then to take a deep breath. “ _When I first met Nagini during my travels, she would wake me, much like your mother does. She too wanted me to talk about my nightmares, but I refused for a long time._

_Eventually I caved and told her about one of my recurring nightmares.”_

_“Did it help?”_ Harry whispered when Voldemort paused for a moment. “ _Talking?”_

A small understanding smile graced Voldemort’s lips and he nodded slowly. “ _After a time. I felt less fear and didn’t startle awake as much.”_ They would still happen, but after talking to Nagini, Voldemort had started to feel calmer about the bad dreams.

Once again the two grew silent as Harry thought over what Voldemort had told him. Should he tell the man about his nightmares? It would be nice not to wake up screaming or flailing anymore. There were so many times that he’d woken up his entire dorm room because of a nightmare, only to blame it on Voldemort instead of the real culprits. 

Harry knew that none of his roommates at Hogwarts would have understood the truth. He wasn’t sure anyone would understand the absolute terror he felt in regards to his muggle uncle.

Now though? Knowing that Voldemort had grown up in an orphanage gave Harry hope that maybe the man knew what it was like to be hated as a child, to feel like he had zero power even though he had magic. 

Should Harry risk it though? If he admitted to his fear, would Voldemort change his mind and think that Harry was no longer a worthy mate? What sort of wizard did it make Harry when he was scared like this? 

Was he a Gryffindor or wasn’t he?

“ _I-I-”_ Harry wasn’t even sure how he was even supposed to start talking about his nightmare. Was he supposed to just blurt it all out or maybe he should tell Voldemort a bit more about his past so that the man would understand why the nightmares were so bad for Harry?

The way Voldemort was watching him, his brows creased in concern and his lips tugged down into a frown as he waited, confused Harry as he fumbled for the right words. No one had ever looked at him like that! At least, no human had ever looked at him with so much concern or care. 

“ _Perhaps I can help you find a way to start.”_ Voldemort murmured softly, his breath gently breezing through the wild strands of Harry’s hair. “ _Was your dream about me?”_

_“No!”_ Harry adamantly shook his head in denial, definitely not wanting the dominant Naga to think he was in any way upset with him or afraid of him. 

The truth was that the only nightmares he ever had of Voldemort, were from the visions that Harry used to get during his fourth and fifth years. Harry wasn’t even sure if those could be called nightmares since they’d been mostly real events. He’d had nightmares about Cedric’s death, but Voldemort hadn’t really played a major role in those bad dreams. 

“ _No.”_ Harry’s voice was softer this time. He felt a little relieved when Voldemort didn’t look to be hurt at all. “ _It wasn’t about you.”_

“ _Your relatives?”_

It was a good thing Harry was being held so close to Voldemort, otherwise he might not have heard the soft words that were spoken into his hair. He nodded slightly and took several deep breaths to keep himself calm. 

“ _You already know my relatives weren’t the nicest of people.”_ Voldemort had learned about the abuse thanks to Healer Callaway’s diagnostic spell. “ _Out of the three of them, my uncle was the worst.”_

For Harry, it was so strange talking about his life outside of the magical world. For years he’d avoided even mentioning his relatives more than necessary, and yet here he was telling Voldemort about things that he hadn’t even told his closest friends. 

At least Voldemort wasn’t interrupting him like Harry knew Ron would have. 

“ _My uncle...he’s huge, I mean whale sized huge.”_ A small giggle left Harry as he spread out his arms to try and illustrate just how large his uncle was. “ _He’s been that way for as long as I can remember.”_

Harry sighed softly as he brought his arms back in and started to absently pick at the fabric of Voldemort’s shirt. 

“ _Compared to him, compared to most people really, I’m tiny. I’ve always been small.”_ Even now Harry was shorter than others his age. “ _Imagine me next to Hagrid now. That was the size difference when I was a kid.”_

Voldemort wrapped his arms more securely around Harry and cuddled him close. It seemed impossible that someone could be as huge as Harry was describing, and just thinking about someone as big as that hitting a small child like Harry had Voldemort practically clinging to the submissive in his lap. 

“ _I cannot imagine what you must have felt as a child.”_ The older naga whispered. Voldemort himself had been of average size growing up, and he had never allowed anyone to intimidate him. It was difficult for him to even contemplate what it must have been like, to have someone as large as a half giant standing over him and threatening violence. 

_“Fear. I felt fear.”_ Harry whispered as well, hesitant to even admit it. He hated how even to this day he still felt afraid of his uncle. “ _He was always so huge and whenever he…”_ He swallowed and shivered ever so slightly. “ _Whenever he got mad he would just stand over me, his fist raised and ready to hit me. I think him just standing over me was the worst part. The pain I could take, I knew how to handle the pain, but him just towering over me and yelling all the time-”_ Harry had to stop talking for a few minutes as he mentally reminded himself that his uncle was gone, that he would never have to see the man again. 

The two sat together for a few minutes, Harry clinging to Voldemort while the older naga gave him time to calm down again. It felt nice, being held and comforted the way he was, and Harry really didn’t want to risk ruining the moment. 

But he had to keep going. Voldemort wanted to know what his nightmare had been about and if talking about it really did help...well, then Harry was at least willing to try. So long as Voldemort didn’t use this information against him. 

“ _Ever since I was a kid, I’d have nightmares of my uncle coming and beating me to death.”_ The nightmares weren’t always of his uncle. Sometimes he would have bad dreams about his aunt chasing him with a pair of shears through the garden yelling about how if she couldn’t cut his hair, she might as well cut off his entire head. Surprisingly Harry didn’t have many nightmares of his cousin; even though Dudley had made Harry’s life miserable he wasn’t actually all that scary to Harry. 

“ _This time was like that...only I could see Ron and Hermoine in the doorway of my room and they were laughing.”_ Harry shuddered in rage and pain. He couldn’t get their laughing faces out of his mind. “ _I asked them for help, but they just kept standing there. And then-”_ He sucked in a shuddering breath and as covertly as possible swiped the tears that were in his eyes away. “ _I saw another me, standing right next to them. He called me a failure, a freak, that...that my parents…”_

Harry knew his parents had loved him, that they would have been proud of him for all that he had done in his life, but hearing those words from someone that looked and sounded just like him, just had the feelings of guilt that Harry had been trying to push away coming back up to the surface. 

Voldemort felt his chest tighten and he could smell the soft scent of salt around Harry. He felt so awkward trying to comfort Harry, especially since he’d never had to do so with anyone else in the past, but Voldemort was bound and determined to show the sweet submissive in his arms that he could in fact be caring. With that in mind, Voldemort reached up and gently pushed Harry’s hand away from his cheeks so that he himself could wipe away the silent tears. 

“ _Your parents loved you, more than anyone else in the world. They fought for you and died for you. No matter what, I think they would support you and whatever decision you make.”_ Sure Voldemort couldn’t be absolutely certain about that, not when he had never known what it was like to have loving parents himself, but he was fairly sure that this was what Harry needed to hear. 

Nothing else was said between Harry and Voldemort, instead the two silently held each other. As the minutes stretched, both found a sense of comfort cuddled up with each other. Slowly, but surely, Harry felt his body relaxing and his mind growing fuzzy. Even though he hadn’t wanted to talk about his nightmare, Voldemort had been right; talking about it had helped to bring peace to Harry. At least for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of chapter 39! So some fluff! We are slowly getting more fluff involved in the story. And slowly, but surely, Harry is realizing that he really does need to talk to someone. And before anyone asks where Lash is: He's outside enjoying the pond and the protective warding magic that keeps the garden warm and sunny. Or he's following Nagini around. Or he's trying to find a way to annoy Hedwig. OR he's spying on any Death Eaters he can find.
> 
> Just as a reminder (which I will continue to do until February) I am taking the month of February off in order to take care of packing/moving. My husband and I are signing our souls away on the 3rd, we close on the 4th, and we start painting on the 5th. We hope to get everything done, moved, and at least partially unpacked by the end of February. 
> 
> Next update will be Monday the 25th of January. 
> 
> Next time: Harry and Snape have their first private potions tutoring session and Harry asks him some difficult questions.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has his first potions tutoring session with Snape.

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 40

For the rest of the week, Harry found himself having what he would call ‘little therapy sessions’ with Voldemort. The man would come by shortly after Harry had been given his potions in the morning, and the two would talk about either his dreams or a little of what happened while Harry had been growing up. Harry wasn’t sure if their little talks were helping at all, but he always felt as if a weight had been taken from his chest whenever he finished up. 

For each talk, Voldemort would scoot up onto the bed and would pull Harry up into his lap. If Harry found it difficult to say anything, Voldemort would start them off by telling him a little about his life at the orphanage. It was cathartic for the both of them. 

After each talk though, Voldemort would tell Harry that talking to him would only help so far, that he eventually would need to talk to a mind healer. Much to Harry’s displeasure, healer Anacletus often agreed with Voldemort and would tell Harry that speaking to a mind healer was just as important as being physically healed. 

Harry hated the very idea of talking to someone that he barely knew and just spilling out his worst memories and fears. He hates that after telling both Voldemort and Anacletus that he didn’t want to, that Voldemort got Narcissa of all people involved. 

Having never had a mother figure growing up, Harry had no defenses against the slightly disappointed but understanding sad look that Narcissa gave him when it was her turn to come and talk to him. 

“I understand why you don’t want to talk to someone Hassis, I really do.” Narcissa’s words were gentle as she spoke. She’d taken Harry’s hand in one of her own and was holding it soothingly as the two of them spent their time together. “But you of all people should know that sometimes we must do what is best even if we don’t want to.” 

Harry huffed in annoyance, but he couldn’t even try to be mad at Narcissa. “I don’t see why I have to talk to a whole other person though!” He denied, wanting to take his hand back so he could cross his arms over his chest in defiance, but didn’t. “I have you, Voldemort, and even Nagini to talk to.” 

Narcissa sighed ever so softly and she shook her head. “And being able to talk to us about your past like this shows a great deal of trust and courage.” She kept her voice gentle and warm. “But eventually you will need someone to talk to that will know how to help you recover and heal from your past.” 

Despite her words, Harry still couldn’t understand what the difference was between talking to them and talking to a mind healer. That’s all it was to him, talking. He didn’t want to have to open up to some stranger about his past and about his nightmares. It was bad enough trying to talk to people that he relatively trusted with the truth, but Harry had no idea what a stranger would do or how they would react. 

Probably sensing that she wasn’t quite getting through to him, Narcissa sighed sadly and patted Harry’s hand gently. “Just think about it dear. We can’t force you to talk to someone if you don’t want to.” 

And wasn’t that the truth? Voldemort, when not within hearing distance of Harry, had been ranting about possibly getting a mind healer anyway and just throwing the healer at Harry. Narcissa knew such a method wouldn’t work, and she was pretty sure that her Lord knew it wouldn’t work either. It was just so frustrating to see Harry struggling with his thoughts and feelings when they all knew he could benefit from someone that could really help him. 

“Now then,” Narcissa swung the hovering bed desk over Harry’s lap and set down a blank sheet of parchment and a quill. “Let’s get back to your calligraphy practice shall we?” 

Harry groaned deeply and flopped back against his pillows. Apparently his handwriting was so bad that all of his ‘tutors’ had gotten together to complain to Narcissa. The woman had changed her lesson plans around so that she would be working with Harry on his quill work first. 

Honestly though, Harry didn’t think his handwriting was that bad. He could write just fine when he was using a normal muggle pencil or pen. Quills were just harder to use. If he held one too tightly, the feather would break. He had to keep it sharp enough to write, but if he sharpened the point too much then it would just crack and shatter. Not to mention he had to know how to dip the stupid feather into the ink at just the right depth so that he wouldn’t get too much ink on the quill tip and smear it everywhere. 

A pen was just so much easier to use. 

Thankfully Narcissa had given him a ‘training quill’, something that most pureblood children were given when they first started learning to read and write. It had unbreakable charms so he didn’t have to worry about holding it too tightly and he didn’t even have to worry about sharpening the tip. 

“Now remember, a gentle tap against the inside of the inkwell will shake off any excess ink. Not too rough now, or you won’t be left with enough ink to write.” 

And that’s how Harry spent the next hour of his time, re-learning how to write block letters with the quill. Narcissa had happily informed him that once he was used to writing block letters cleanly, they would move onto cursive. 

Harry felt like he was back in primary again, but this time he didn’t have Dudley kicking the back of his seat or a teacher glaring at him because he was a ‘troublemaker’. He also didn’t have to worry about going home to an irate aunt and uncle who would punish him for every tiny infraction. 

Eventually Harry moved on from writing out the alphabet to slowly copying pages out of a book about etiquette, much to his consternation. By the time their hour was up, Harry was more than ready to throw the very dry and very old sounding book as far from him as he could. His hand was cramping and he had a thumping headache from trying to read. Thankfully, Narcissa took pity on him and gave Harry a half dose of pain reliever. 

“You’ve done very well today Harry, I’d say by the time you’re up and moving your handwriting will be improved immensely.” 

A little shiver of pride went through Harry as he was given the compliment. It was just handwriting, and yet the knowledge that Narcissa thought he was doing better had Harry beaming. 

“Severus should be here soon to work with you on your potions theory.” 

And just like that, Harry’s good mood evaporated. It was Saturday, which meant his first lesson with Snape and Harry was really not looking forward to it. After having 5 years with the man constantly berating him, putting him down, and bullying him, Harry was more than wary over this entire situation. If Snape was that bad in a classroom, what was he going to be like in private? 

Sure Harry now knew that the man had been acting, that he hadn’t actually hated Harry, but there was only so much acting a person could do. It hadn’t been just Harry that Snape had been mean too after all. 

“Don’t look so worried dear, Severus will be on his best behavior.” Narcissa said with a giggle as the boy turned begging eyes towards her. 

“Now then. How about you take a break and relax until Severus arrives? He’ll work with you until lunch time and then you’ll be free from your lessons for the day.” Narcissa waited until she got what she could only describe as a grumpy glare from Harry. She gathered up everything from Harry’s work desk and put his quill and parchment away on his nightstand where he could easily reach it if he wanted to write at all. 

Narcissa left shortly after tidying up Harry’s room, which really didn’t need that much attention since Harry was practically stuck to his bed, leaving Harry alone to ‘relax’. 

He flopped back against his pillows and stared up at the ceiling. A week hadn’t even passed yet and Harry was already feeling cabin fever. He wanted to get up, leave his room, and go do something! He’d always been active while growing up and while at Hogwarts. Heck he’d remained active even after his inheritance while living in the forest. This was the longest he’d ever spent being bed bound, even after all the times he’d gotten hurt at Hogwarts. 

And he was definitely slowly losing his mind. 

The lessons with his tutors helped to break up the long boring hours that he was stuck doing nothing, and he had plenty of books to pass the time, but he was itching to get up and run around. 

So Harry did the one physical activity he was allowed to do even with a healing tail. He carefully slid out of his bed and then slowly slithered his way across his room to the bathroom. The ache from his healing tail was a soft thumping, but with the pain reliever potions in his system Harry was able to mostly ignore the feeling. 

And to think, he wasn’t even halfway through healing his tail yet. 

It took nearly 20 minutes for Harry to make it to the bathroom, use the facilities, and freshen up. He hated how slow he was moving, having to take extra care with how much he moved his tail, but it was either move slowly or be forced to have someone help him move around. If neither Anacletus or Voldemort were available, a house elf would have shown up to help him. 

Harry froze in the doorway of his bathroom when he spotted his next tutor standing in front of his closed bedroom door. 

“Uh...hi…” Harry muttered, a little out of his depth at the moment. He was so used to Snape sneering and glaring at him, his shoulders tense and his hands clenched, that the relaxed posture and calm demeanor that Snape now portrayed threw Harry for a loop. 

And to Harry’s utter surprise, Snape did something that he had never before seen or thought the man capable of. 

He smirked. 

It wasn’t a cold, hateful smirk either. No, it was relaxed and warm. 

The two of them stood where they were, just staring at each, until finally Snape sighed and motioned for Harry to come forward. 

“Would you rather take your lesson in your bed or on your couch?” 

He was the first person to offer Harry an alternative to using his bed and Harry felt himself relaxing minutely. It was a relief to have the option offered up to him, and Harry immediately went over to his couch. 

The tension returned though once both of them were seated, neither one knowing how to start off the lesson. 

“I think perhaps we should talk before going into your lesson.” 

At that moment, Snape sounded tired. At least, that’s the only way Harry could explain it. His physical appearance was still the same, he didn’t look tired, but the way he spoke was if he knew what was coming and had prepared himself for the worse. His shoulders were still stiff, his black robes immaculate, and his hair was as straight and as greasy looking as ever, but his words were just so heavy. 

“I must apologize to you Harry, for how I treated you over the years, for not protecting you as well as I should have, and for not recognizing the signs of your home life like I should have.” 

Harry felt gobsmacked as his potions professor spoke. The man had apologized before, had explained himself the last time they had seen each other, but this apology felt different than the last. Perhaps it was because it was just the two of them and they didn’t have an irate Dark Lord hovering around ready to curse Snape into oblivion. 

“I was playing a role, but it’s no excuse for how I treated you.” Severus continued on. “I should have found another way to protect my cover and to protect you.” 

There was a tightness in Harry’s throat and he had to swallow hard a couple times. 

Severus took a moment to take a deep breath. Apologizing was not something he was used to doing, even when he really was in the wrong, but in this case he knew he had to get it out into the open before he and Harry could even try to have a chance to work together. 

“I-It’s not your fault.” Harry found himself saying once Snape stopped talking. “You were doing what you had to do.” If there was one thing Harry understood, it was doing what was needed to survive. Snape had been a spy, which meant his life was in an even more precarious position than Harry’s was. One wrong move and his role would have been discovered and his life would have been forfeit. That’s not what had happened, thankfully, but to have lived over a dozen years with such a big secret must have weighed heavily on the man. 

And yet the man had still found ways to keep Harry safe while he had been attending Hogwarts. Harry could have died during his first quidditch match, it was Snape that had stepped forward to get rid of the snake in his second year not knowing that Harry was a parselmouth. During his third year Snape had stepped between Harry’s group and Lupin while the man had turned into a werewolf for the night. 

There were so many times, now that Harry was thinking about it, that Snape could have just stepped back and done nothing. Instead he had helped Harry, in a rather roundabout and insulting manner. 

The two sat in silence for a while after that, neither knowing what to say next. Severus had given his apologies. If he could have, he would have done things differently, but he knew he had been limited in his options over the years so he wouldn’t allow himself to feel anymore guilty than he already did. 

“You knew my mother.” 

Four little words jolted Severus so much that he physically jumped back in his seat. He blinked once or twice before nodding his head slowly. “I did.” His eyes narrowed a little as he stared at Harry questioningly. “We grew up together.” 

Harry nodded at the answer, already knowing that Snape had known his mother. He had just wanted that confirmation before he asked the real question that was on his mind; the question that had been on his mind for some time now. He took a deep steadying breath and squared his shoulders, working up as much Gryffindor courage as he could. 

Severus felt a moment of trepidation as the boy across from him sat up straight and stared long and hard at him. The boy was working up to ask him something important, he just knew it, he was just a little worried that the boy might be asking something impossible of Severus. 

After another steadying breath, Harry finally got the question that had been bothering him out. “Would she have approved of me?”

This was definitely the day Severus had been dreading. Yes he had been close friends with Lily at one time in his life, but they had drifted apart in their later teens. She had disapproved of his choices in friends and desire to learn darker magic. How could he know what her thoughts were as she grew into adulthood and joined the light side? 

And yet, Severus knew one thing for certain as he thought back to his best friend and looked into her son’s eyes. Eyes almost exact copies of his mother’s. 

“Yes.” He knew without a doubt that Lily would have supported her son in all things. She might have been upset with his choice to be on speaking terms with the Dark Lord, but he knew she would have gotten over her reservations if she could see just how much the man cared for her son. She wouldn’t have cared that Harry had become a dark creature, she might have even been proud of how he handled himself during and after his inheritance. Lily would have gone on a rampage over how Dumbledore and Harry’s relatives had treated him. 

So yes, Severus was very sure that the woman he had seen as his best friend in the whole world would have been very proud of her son. 

That single word confirmation had Harry’s heart warming in his chest and he couldn’t help the relieved but happy smile. Despite the dream he’d had of his parents on the night of his inheritance, he had felt unsure and afraid that perhaps his mother and father would have been angry with him for his choices. 

“Do you think she would...that she would accept me being with Voldemort?” Harry asked as he chewed on his bottom lip. 

Now that was a harder question for Severus to answer. If Lily and James had been alive, and the Dark Lord hadn’t gone after baby Harry, he knew that the likelihood of Harry even getting the chance to be in a relationship with Voldemort would be impossible. He knew that Lily and James would have taken Harry out of the country the second his inheritance had come to pass and would have found the closest naga tribe to help Harry. Or at least, that’s what Severus would have done if Harry had been his child. 

But with the way things were, it was hard to say how Lily would have felt. Severus imagined she would have been hesitant about the Dark Lord being anywhere near her son, but after having seen how close the two were Severus had to think that Lily would have at least been supportive. 

“I think,” Severus cleared his throat and then sighed softly. “I think she loved you so much that she would have moved mountains to make sure you were safe and happy.” Even if that meant creating a spell to actually do so. “If being with the Dark Lord makes you happy, I think she would have supported you.” 

Severus smirked dangerously then. “Of course she would have threatened to tear his balls off first if he ever hurt you.” Those words were said much softer than his previous ones, him being a little paranoid that perhaps a certain Dark Lord would hear him.

The relief that Harry felt in that moment was unexplainable. His parents were gone, but that didn’t make the guilt of feeling attracted to Voldemort go away. In his heart he wanted to know that his parents would have supported him and not felt disgusted by his choices. If Snape, who probably knew his mother best, thought that she would have been on his side then Harry would believe that. 

“What about…” Harry licked his lips and looked down at his hands. Would Snape know anything about how his father would have felt?

It didn’t take a genius for Severus to figure out what it was that Harry wanted to know. His next sigh was longer and deeper and he leaned back against the cushions of his seat to think.    
  


“As for your father...I believe he would have thrown a tantrum.” At least that’s what the teenage James Potter would have done. “He might have tried to talk you out of it and would have told you that you had plenty of options in the world.” Severus shook his head with a frown. “I didn’t know your father as well as I did Lily, but I think in the end he would have supported you.” If only because Lily would have threatened to castrate him for making Harry upset. 

“It would honestly be better if you were to talk to Lupin about your father.” Unlike Black, Lupin had been the more rational of their group. The werewolf be able to tell Harry how the grown up version of James would have acted, better than Severus ever could. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get to see Remus again…” That fact was probably what hit Harry the hardest about his decision to give Voldemort a chance. There was no way Remus would ever understand Harry’s decision. The man was a dark creature, and yet he had fought against that darkness all his life and had been on the light side during both wars. 

Remus was the last link Harry had to both his father and to Sirius, and knowing that the two of them would probably never see each other? It hurt. Remus was like an uncle to him once the two had been able to be in each other's lives again. 

Severus pursed his lips as he himself thought about Remus Lupin. It was true that the man was firmly on the light side, but he was also one of the people that would be immensely protective of Harry. If word got to him about what Dumbledore had done to Harry, had subjected the boy to all his life, Severus was sure the werewolf would dump the light side and the Order faster than anything. 

If Harry had Lupin at his side, the boy would have more protections and would probably feel a lot more stable in his life. He needed as many caring faces around him to help him heal from the years of abuse and terror. 

But how could he get word to Lupin about the truth of everything that had been going on without alerting Dumbledore? Lupin was currently with the other werewolves, trying to convince them to drop their alliance with Voldemort, but Severus knew that the old man kept close tabs on Lupin anyway. 

Perhaps, and Severus hated that the idea had merit, they should ask Lord Voldemort for assistance? If anyone could get Lupin to Malfoy manor without anyone assuming it was because Harry was there, it was the Dark Lord. He’d easily be able to talk to Greyback and get the monster of an Alpha werewolf to bring the weaker man to the manor. 

It was a thought for later. For now, Severus had to focus on Harry and his education. 

“If there is nothing else you wish to ask, we should get started on your potions lesson.” Severus pulled shrunken books from an inner pocket of his robe and resized them. He also pulled out a cutting board, several tools for ingredient preparation, and a few jars of potions ingredients. He very pointedly ignored the groan from his student across from him as he set everything up. 

Seeing that the coffee table between them was as low as the couch seat, Severus waved his wand and murmured a soft ‘engorgio’ and had the table growing taller until it was at the height of Harry’s lower torso. 

Harry eyed everything warily. He knew he wasn’t up to doing anything excessively physical, which was why they weren’t going to be actually brewing until he was fully healed, but he had no idea what it was that Snape was wanting him to do. 

“I’ve been reviewing your scores and assignments for the last 5 years.” Severus stated as he proceeded to place the exact same tools and ingredients infront of himself. “Your basic theory is acceptable, but you have a misunderstanding of why certain ingredients are used instead of others, as well as why certain steps must be taken during the brewing stage. Although your ingredient preparation is passable, you seem to have a problem with the different ways to prepare different ingredients.” 

From what Severus had observed over the years, he knew Harry could be a very competent potioneer, he just didn’t have the refined skills. It also didn’t help that he had classmates that were trying to sabotage his work regularly. There was also the possibility that Harry hadn’t been able to see the board thanks to his abysmal eyesight. 

Now that they were in a private tutoring setting, and Harry no longer had to worry about being able to see or read the instructions, Severus was positive that the boy would excel. 

“With that in mind, I thought the best course of action would be to do a review of your last 5 years in potions.” Snape then opened the first book that he had set down in front of Harry. “I...found your belongings in a cave...whoever had found them ruined the majority of your belongings.” He cleared his throat and then tapped at the book he had set down. “I purchased a new set of potions books to replace the ones you lost.” 

Hearing that his things had been destroyed had Harry scowling darkly. The things he loved and treasured the most he had been able to keep with him and bring with him when he and his snake family had fled the forest. Knowing that the rest of his meager amount of belongings had been trashed though was a low blow. He hadn’t had much in his life, so every little thing had meant a great deal to him. He had bought those books himself, treasured every Weasley sweater that Mrs. Weasley had made him, and had loved the little gifts and knick knacks that his friends had given him over the years. 

“Was anything salvageable?” Harry asked as he took the offered book and glanced at the cover. It was a beginners guide on potion ingredient care and preparation, written specifically for muggle raised witches and wizards. He flipped through a few pages in curiosity. It’d been a few years, but Harry was sure he’d never bought this book for school. 

“Not as far as I could tell.” Having been in a situation similar to Harry’s, Severus understood the want and need to keep his things close and protected. He knew that even a little note from a friend would have a great deal of meaning to someone who had very little in life. Severus himself still had a little box full of the notes he and Lily had passed back and forth over the years, little trinkets the two had bought or found while exploring, as well as a little origami lily that Severus had carefully learned how to make. 

“Unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time to search for anything not ruined.” He did wish he could have though, especially after seeing the sad wince from Harry. “If you would like I could go back after our lesson ends and see if I can find anything.” 

Harry shook his head, but he did give Snape a grateful smile. “It’s been a couple weeks since I left. With the weather being how it is and with the wildlife probably getting into the cave, I don’t think there will be anything left.” He’d saved his most prized possessions and that was all that mattered to Harry. 

“You forget,” Severus was smirking ever so slightly again. “We have magic. I’m sure a quick repairing spell can reverse the damage to most of your possessions.” 

Even though the offer was kind, Harry still shook his head. The things that had been left behind were in his past now. Most of those things had been given to him by the Weasley’s anyway, so they would be a constant reminder to him of their betrayal. 

“As you will.” The potions master knew when to stop pushing. So instead he turned his attention back to the books and the lesson he was going to be teaching Harry. “I thought today we would go over the different cutting and chopping methods.” 

And with that, Snape and Harry began their 2 hour potions theory lesson. Despite what Harry had been worried about, Snape never once snapped or snarled at him. There were times that Harry could tell that Snape wanted to grab the knife from him to show him how to properly dice something, especially with how the man’s hand twitched, but he would take a deep breath and patiently explain how to properly hold the knife again. 

Snape didn’t lose his temper, he didn’t yell, and at the end of the lesson he actually complemented Harry on how attentive he was during the lesson. He was even able to jar up the majority of the cut up ingredients to be used in future potions, much to Harry’s happiness. 

“I’ll return tomorrow for your Defense lesson.” Snape told him once the lesson was over and he had cleaned up the tools and jars. He left half the tools, the half that Harry had used, in a storage box on the coffee table and told him that they were for Harry to keep. 

“Thank you Professor Snape.” Harry was smiling for the first time ever after a potions lesson. He was still a little wary that the two of them would be able to get along for extended periods of time, but at least he knew that they wouldn’t be trying to strangle each other like during those horrid occlumency lessons last year. There was hope for them. 

Severus smirked again, a small twitch of his lips, as he stood and pocketed his things. “I expect you to read the first five chapters of these three books before next Saturday.” He touched his fingertips against the books in question. “And Mr. Potter?” He waited until Harry had stopped scowling at the books to look at him. “It was my pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof. Can't believe we're already at chapter 40. Who would have thought this story would have gotten as long as it has. Of course, then again, I do seem to have a problem with getting around to writing endings. Luckily, I only have a few more important plot points to hit before I will feel comfortable with finishing SSST. Soooo...probably another 40 chapters. We'll have to wait and see!
> 
> That being said, SSST is now taking a month off from updates. As I've said in the past couple chapters, my husband and I are moving into our new house so I'm going to need all of February to take care of all that (he's terrible at packing). We officially get the keys on the 4th! So exciting. I'm finally going to be a proper adult :D
> 
> So, chapter 41 will be posted on Monday the 1st of March. Make sure to set your calendars! 
> 
> Next time: 3 weeks of bedrest have past and Harry is just about ready to murder someone. Voldemort is going over reports that his followers have turned in and is also ready to go murder someone. Snape has a talk with Voldemort.


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voldemort has a lot to think about and plan. He has a talk with Severus that he doesn't particularly like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you had a safe February. I have returned!

Snake Scales and Serpent Tails

Chapter 41

Much to Harry’s annoyance, it was week 3 of his enforced bedrest. Thankfully, several of his other ‘tutors’ had taken a leaf out of Snape’s book and had moved their lessons from Harry’s bed to his couch. It wasn’t that much of a move, and Harry was still forced to not move too much, but at least it helped ease a little bit of the twitchy feeling that Harry had started feeling recently. 

He so wanted to just get up and move around, but Anacletus was being ridiculously protective and cautious with him. Every time Harry got out of bed, just to go to the bathroom, when he came back either a house elf was there or the healer himself to ensure he was alright. Sometimes even Voldemort would show up if Harry took too long getting back to bed. 

Every single day, Voldemort would come in and have breakfast in bed with Harry and would then have dinner with him on the couch. Ever since his nightmare, the two had grown closer and at each meal they would end up cuddled up together with their sides pressed against each other. 

Voldemort kept to his human form each time though, to ensure he didn’t give in to the temptation of wrapping their tails together and risking setting back Harry’s recovery. 

He wanted to share lunch with Harry as well, but his Dark Lord responsibilities had finally caught up to him. Voldemort still had a war to fight, a ministry to infiltrate, and an annoying old Headmaster to sabotage. Most, if not all, of Voldemort’s patience was gone by the time lunch rolled around and quite a few of his lower level Death Eaters were put under short rounds of the cruciatus curse in the afternoon. Sure Voldemort was mostly sane these days, but even he had his limits when it came to incompetence. 

Just yesterday one of his low level Death Eaters, Farley something, had reported to him that the muggle-born family that they had been monitoring had suddenly vanished without a trace. When Voldemort had demanded an answer for why and how this had happened, the idiot hadn’t been able to come up with a decent answer. 

After a round or two of the torture curse, the man had admitted that he and his partner had been lax in their assignment and hadn’t been watching as closely as they could have. As it turned out, Farley had even left his post for several days because he’d been so sure that nothing would happen in his absence. 

Voldemort had sent one of his Auror spies to go and investigate the disappearance and they had come back to tell him that the house had been packed up with magic and the memories of the neighbors had been changed. Now everyone believed that the family had gone to Australia because of a job opportunity. 

The entire situation screamed of Dumbledore and his meddling. Someone, or something, must have tipped off the old man and then he’d moved the muggle-born family as soon as he had the chance. 

With a scowl worthy of Severus Snape, Voldemort stared down at the report in front of him. There was a picture attached to the file, an unmoving one of the family of three that he’d had his people watch. From what his followers had been able to glean, the Granger family was a rather normal, but well off, muggle family. Ian Granger and his wife Jean Granger were dentists that worked together at their own private clinic. From their practice, the two Grangers made enough money to ensure that their family lived comfortably. 

Voldemort flipped through the file and sneered at the financials of the family. According to the report on his desk, the family had been able to not only pay for their daughter to go to a top ranked private school growing up, but they had also been able to go on multi week vacations overseas every summer since the girl had been 4 years old. Their house was a comfortable 3 bedroom with an attic that had been turned into a library. 

Yes, the Granger family was so horribly muggle and normal that it made Voldemort sick. 

With a huff, he closed the file and sat back in his seat. He couldn’t help but wonder how the Granger girl, who had been raised so very muggle, had never thought to use a muggle phone to call Harry whom she knew lived with muggles? After everything that Harry had told him about his relatives, Voldemort was sure the Dursley’s would have done whatever they could to impress the Granger family if they had known of Harry’s friendship with their daughter. 

After all, the Dursley’s really were the type of people that smooched up to whomever they thought would make their own family seem more well off. 

And now the family was gone, right out from under his nose and Voldemort couldn’t help but wonder why? Was this an attempt to keep the Granger girl on his side, by protecting her family? Or was it possible that the muggles knew something, or were hiding something important? 

To be honest, Voldemort had only set a couple of his Death Eaters to watch the girl’s family so that he could find something useful to use against her. Perhaps even take her parents hostage in order to get her out into the open so he could get her as well. 

Voldemort frowned. He hated losing, and having the family he’d been watching disappear was definitely losing. There was also the possibility that Dumbledore had hidden the family because there was something that he didn’t want Voldemort knowing. 

So, it was with that in mind that Voldemort reassigned several of his best Auror spies to find the Granger girl’s family and to bring them to the Malfoy dungeons. He’d find out why Dumbledore hid the Granger family, even if it was only to pacify the girl. 

Setting aside the report on the disappearance of the Granger family, Voldemort reached for another report. This one was about another muggle family, one that he had more than a passing curiosity in. 

He opened the file in front of him and practically snarled at the unmoving picture of the three muggles. Two were so horribly obese that they practically hid the skinny woman with them. If it weren’t for the fact that the boy looked so much like his father, Voldemort would have wondered how such a fat boy could have come such a skinny woman. 

The Dursleys. They looked so smug in the one picture Voldemort had of them, smiling and posing for the camera that was pointed at them. You would never imagine that a fourth person had been in the household, not if you looked at this picture. 

Just looking at the trio, with their pristine good quality clothes, nicely styled hair, and the expensive accessories, had Voldemort wanting to torture them until they completely resembled the pigs that they were. All he could think about were the stories Harry had told him about having to wear his cousin's old ruined clothes. About how the boy’s medical exams had revealed long term starvation even though his relatives looked to be well fed and healthy. 

Thankfully, the team Voldemort had assigned to watch the Dursley’s had taken their jobs seriously. One of the pair was always on Privet Drive while the other would either be resting or delivering reports to Voldemort. So whatever Dumbledore had done to the Granger family, he hadn’t been able to do to the Dursley’s. 

Then again it was very possible the old man was using the Dursley family as bait to try and lure Voldemort out in the hopes to get at Potter. 

Voldemort sneered and looked through the report. Like the Grangers, the Dursley family was well off financially. They lived in a very middle class neighborhood, had a decently sized 4 bedroom home, and made enough money to both send their son to an expensive private school and afford some sort of vacation every year. On the financial report, Voldemort quickly found the money that was given to Mrs. Dursley for Harry’s care. 

It wasn’t a huge amount, nor was it insubstantial. If the Dursleys had actually done their jobs, Harry would have been able to afford decent clothes and regular meals without affecting their normal income. 

He felt very little consolation of the fact that the payments to the Durlsey family for Harry’s care had been stopped. It wasn’t enough for Voldemort, he wanted the disgusting muggle family to suffer for what they had put a magical child through. 

Having suffered a similar childhood to Harry, Voldemort knew what it was like to get practically nothing and be expected to be grateful for it. He knew what abuse felt like and he knew what it was like to live with raving lunatics. It was one of the reasons Voldemort had pressed so hard for child protection reforms back when he had just graduated from Hogwarts and had tried going into the political route of things. 

So here he was, having his Death Eaters watching the vile muggles and learning as much as they could about the three. They also had orders to grab the three as soon as possible and to bring them back to the manor dungeons.

The next part of the plan was a little spotty for Voldemort though. He wanted to torture the Dursleys, but he also didn’t want to do anything to upset his possible mate. He knew Harry hated the Dursleys, that he wanted nothing to do with them, but Voldemort had no idea if the younger naga would be alright with his only blood relatives being tortured and eventually killed. 

He would need to discuss things with Harry soon just to make sure he wouldn’t be too angry at having his relatives kidnapped. 

Voldemort slammed the report closed and shoved it towards the last one. Perhaps if he’d been a little more insane, he wouldn’t have worried about Harry’s feelings. He would have gone immediately to the Dursley household and would have tortured the disgusting muggles then and there until they died. 

Perhaps he could turn kidnapping the Dursleys into a kind of courtship gift? If he did it right, worded the conversation right, it would be like him handing the muggles to Harry on a silver platter. Voldemort knew the boy could have a vindictive side, so it was completely possible that Harry might surprise him and ask for Voldemort to do exactly what the Dark Lord wanted. 

He would need to think about it for a little bit. So long as Dumbledore didn’t move the Dursleys, Voldemort had time to plan things out. 

There was one last report on Voldemort’s desk and it was much thicker than the last two. He had set his final team on watching and gathering information on a wizarding family. Such an order was both easier and harder to complete as information on the family was readily available, but the wards on the family's home kept most dark wizards from getting too close or spying. 

Despite there being so much information on this particular family, Voldemort wanted to make sure he knew absolutely everything about them. He didn’t want to risk missing something that could be vital when the family was so close to Dumbledore. 

The Weasleys were the epitome of blood traitors, in every sense of the word. For generations they’d sided with muggle rights over magic and they were constantly meddling with muggle devices and putting the Statute of Secrecy at risk. It seemed like every other generation, members of the Weasley family would marry either half-bloods or muggle-borns instead of other purebloods. The head of the Weasley family, the one Voldemort had gone to school with, had forsaken the Weasley Lordship and had even given their Wizengamot seats away all because he hated that his family had been included on the ‘sacred 28’ list. From what he could read, the Weasley family had even given up the magical holidays and beliefs in favor of the muggle ones. 

It was like the Weasley family had forsaken everything that made a person magical and just saw magic as a tool rather than as an integral facet of a person’s very being. 

The only redeeming quality that Voldemort could find in the obnoxious red heads, was that the Weasley had always been one of the most fertile families in Britain. Whether that was because they had some less than pure ancestry or because of some blessing, was unknown. 

One by one Voldemort read over the profile for each of the Weasley family, starting with the patriarch Arthur. The man, according to Lucius, was a menace at the ministry. He only ever cared about his muggle gadgets and would even ask muggles ridiculous questions as to who and how certain gadgets functioned. Weasley had even modified a muggle car so that it could fly and become invisible. 

Arthur Weasley was the third son to Septimus Weasley, who had been the seventh son of the previous Lord Weasley, and Cedrella Black, who had been banished from the Black family because of her choice to marry the blood traitor Weasley. It was Septimus’ oldest brother that had given up the Weasley Lordship and had doomed the entire line to being ostracised from the rest of the magical world. Arthur Weasley had been sorted into Gryffindor, not that Voldemort was at all surprised, and had started dating Molly Prewett sometime in their 6th year. They married immediately after Hogwarts and almost 6 months later they had their first son. 

It didn’t take a genius to see why they’d rushed to get married. 

Molly Weasley, previously Prewett, was described as a loud witch with very stubborn beliefs. Even though the Prewett family were known to follow the old ways, celebrating magical holidays and traditions, Molly Weasley did not. She’d forsaken her pureblood heritage the moment she had married Arthur Weasley and very proudly celebrated the muggle holidays and beliefs. According to the report, Molly’s parents only ever sent birthday cards and presents to their grandchildren, but they were never seen visiting their daughter and her family. 

Voldemort’s eyes narrowed as he thought about the Prewett family. He remembered Gideon and Fabian and when they had died, he had thought it to have been such a shame. They’d been powerful wizards and had, despite siding with the idiotic light side, followed the old ways and beliefs. If Voldemort had ever thought he could have turned the twins, he would have. 

He moved on from the husband and wife and began reading about their children. 

William “Bill” Weasley was the eldest. He’d done extremely well at Hogwarts and had taken on an apprenticeship at Gringotts as a curse breaker shortly after graduating. In fact, that apprenticeship had taken the eldest Weasley out of Britain and to Egypt where he was living even to this day. Other than visiting once or twice for a holiday, the boy hadn’t been back to Britain since taking on his apprenticeship. According to what had been dug up, the boy had even started following the old ways once he’d broken free of his family; which was a very interesting note for Voldemort to see. 

The next in the long list of Weasley children was one Charles “Charlie” Weasley. He’d graduated Hogwarts months before Harry had started his own education at the wizarding school. Like his brother, he had almost immediately taken up an apprenticeship out of the country. In fact, the man had only just finished his apprenticeship at the Romanian Dragon Reserve in 1994 just before the Triwizard Tournament had started. There was no information about whether or not the man followed the old ways or not, but there was a note that he was one of the best Dragonologists that the Reserve had. 

Percy Weasley was the third son of the Weasley family, and Voldemort was already wondering why the hell a family that had obvious financial issues would have so many children. He shook his head and went back to reading the profile in front of him. 

The boy had graduated Hogwarts the June before the Triwizard Tournament and had found a relatively decent job at the ministry. He was a hard worker and reports indicated that the young man was loyal to the ministry rather than to his family. Voldemort smirked darkly at that little fact and already he was coming up with ways to help grow that loyalty so that when he did take over the ministry, Percy Weasley would quickly fall in line. 

The next two profiles were practically identical and Voldemort could see why. Fred and George Weasley were identical twins and were the fourth and fifth sons of the Weasley family. In big bold letters, were the words “ **Absolute Terrors** ” which left Voldemort pretty sure that it had been Snape that had written up parts of these profiles. 

From reading the profiles of the twins, Voldemort learned that the two boys had left Hogwarts last year and had chosen to take their NEWTS at the ministry early. The two boys had passed their exams and were currently setting up a business in Diagon Alley to sell their various joke products and inventions. It was a mystery as to where they’d gotten the startup money for such a venture, seeing as how there was a note that they did not have a loan from Gringotts, which left Voldemort feeling very curious. 

How did two boys from a relatively poor family come up with the funds to start their own business? It showed a tenacity and determination, as well as a strong sense for business, for the two to have done so much so quickly. 

Out of all the Weasleys, these two piqued Voldemort’s interest. Sure the two eldest were powerful and had the intelligence to distance themselves from their blood traitor family, but the twins had found a way to not only free themselves from their family, but in a way all their own. There was that, and the fact that Harry had spoken fondly of the twins. It helped that Voldemort had not seen either of the twins in the memories of Harry’s owl. 

He would need to speak with Harry at length about the twin Weasleys and possibly have one of his unmarked spies infiltrate the business of the twins. 

Voldemort didn’t even bother with the last two profiles. He knew enough about Ronald and Ginevra Weasley currently. Just from what he had observed in Hedwig’s memories, and from Harry’s own anger, Voldemort knew that he would be doing whatever it took to punish the two youngest of the Weasley clan. 

There was a knock at Voldemort’s study door and he glanced up at it. The wards he kept on the door told him exactly who was standing there and Voldemort was more than pleased that the man had shown up right on time. 

“Enter Severus.” Voldemort put the profiles back into the Weasley file and closed it. He’d read enough to have a general idea of what he would need to do to take out the too light for their own good family. 

Sure enough when the door opened, it was Severus Snape standing there. Normally Voldemort would wait until the weekend to summon the potions master, but seeing as how Thursday was one of Snape’s least busy days at Hogwarts, Voldemort thought it would be best to get their meeting out of the way. 

“Report.” 

Instantly the dour man had handed over a roll of parchment for his Master to read. “The curse in Dumbledore’s hand has been progressing at a steadily faster rate. I’ve been able to make it appear as if I’m slowing it down, but he’ll be lucky to last until the winter holidays.” There was very little inflection in the man’s voice as he spoke of the headmaster. 

“Draco has taken to his new mission quite well and I’ve begun sowing the seeds in Dumbledore’s mind that it might be best to keep Draco on past his 7th year.” Not that it was very hard for Snape to do so. All it had taken was the suggestion that maybe by keeping Draco away from his family and the Dark Lord, they might be able to turn him from the dark side altogether. Snape had seen the glimmer in Dumbledore’s eyes and he knew just what the old man was thinking; that Draco would make a good spy for the light side. 

Now all they needed to do was to get the Governors to agree to the first apprenticeship in Hogwarts in almost 50 years. With Lucius on the Board though, it would be easy to get the other members to see things their way. 

“Granger and the Weasleys are having trouble with the golem.” There were more details of everything he was reporting on the roll of parchment, but Snape would definitely hit the highlights. “It’s starting to reject the magic that’s being funneled into it. Dumbledore has convinced a few more of his followers to help power the golem, but the old man is getting desperate to find Potter.” 

And it was no wonder that the old man was having trouble with all of his plans. If he had only asked Severus he might have known that golems were not meant to harness and use magic. A little bit of magic at a time, enough to keep the golem functioning and appearing to be human, was fine. Put too much magic into a golem and the golem will start destabilizing. It was obvious that the old man had no idea that by putting even more magic into the already temperamental golem, he was only making things worse. 

“He’s asking me if I know of any way to track Potter.” 

Voldemort paused in reading the report that he’d been handed and glanced up at Severus. “Is he asking about Dark magic?”   
  


For a moment Severus didn’t answer, but there was a slight crease to his brow and a barely there downturn of his mouth. “He hasn’t outright said as such, but he wasn’t exactly subtle in his questions.” 

Voldemort leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers against his lips. If Dumbledore was contemplating using dark magic to find Potter, even through one of his followers, then the man really was desperate. For as long as Voldemort knew him, Albus Dumbledore had always been so anti dark magic that he’d outright refused to use any magic that he thought could ever actually be dark magic. The man had even banned some runes and spells from the Hogwarts curriculum just because of his own personal opinion despite the fact that the majority of what he had banned was purely neutral. 

With his impending and unstoppable death, Voldemort supposed that Dumbledore would want to make sure his final plans were in place. It wasn’t like the man could actually trust any of his followers to make sure that Harry did exactly what Dumbledore wanted. No. In some ways the old man was even more distrustful than Voldemort himself was. 

“What did you tell him?” 

Severus cleared his throat softly. “That I would look into things. He seemed upset that I didn’t have anything readily available for him, but I reminded him that it has been nearly 15 years since I’d used any of the darkest of spells.” 

It had been one of Dumbledore’s requirements after all, that Severus give up his dark ways while he was a simple potions professor. The Headmaster had even placed wards around Severus’ quarters to detect if the potions master used any dark magic. Severus was sure that Dumbledore assumed that he didn’t know about the wards, but he wasn’t an idiot. He was a spy for a reason, and that reason was his paranoid nature. He’d found and secretly dismantled those wards within a month of starting his job at Hogwarts. 

“Fortunately, any spell or potion that can be used won’t work, thanks to Potter’s creature inheritance.” Severus continued on. “Everything will either link back to the golem or will show Potter as no longer existing.” 

Voldemort smirked a bit at that idea, the one where Dumbledore would think that Potter was dead. If the old man thought that he could no longer use Harry for his schemes, then it would make it easier to hide Harry until the old man really was dead. Many of the dangers that surrounded Harry because of Dumbledore would vanish the moment the man passed on. They would still have to deal with his followers, but they were so out of the loop and in the dark that it would be nothing to control them. 

As soon as Dumbledore was dead and Harry had the use of his legs again, the boy would definitely be able to get on with his life. 

For a moment Voldemort felt some trepidation and worry. Since Harry had yet to say yes or no to the courtship offer, there was a very real possibility that Harry would just decide to leave once he had his legs again. 

Voldemort had to take a moment to calm down his instinctual need to go and find Harry, to convince him that he would be happier staying with him. They still had a couple months before Harry would be well enough to even think about being on his own. 

“Is there any chance, no matter how small, of Dumbledore being able to find Harry?” Voldemor asked, forcing his mind back into the current meeting. 

Severus mentally went over everything he had witnessed over the past few weeks and very slowly shook his head. “The only thing I can think of is if the Aurors decide to do a raid on Malfoy Manor.” 

Voldemort felt his shoulders stiffen. Shockingly enough, he hadn’t thought of that. He had enough spies amongst the Aurors that he hadn’t ever considered the fact that the ministry might actually try to do a raid on the manor. With Lucius having had to bribe his way out of Azkaban after the department of mysteries debacle, and the Lestrange brothers having used a portkey to avoid getting captured, the ministry really did have quite a few reasons to not trust Lucius Malfoy. They could easily insist that a raid was necessary, even without warning. 

He felt a moment of panic and had to stop himself from jumping to his feet to get to Harry immediately. If a raid was coming, his spies would let him know. If there was no way to warn them ahead of time, then he would focus on protecting Harry from the aurors. There were spells that he could use to hide Harry’s rooms from view if there wasn’t a chance to get Harry out of the manor. 

Voldemort would just have to hope for the best and plan for the worst as soon as he could. For now, he would take a deep breath and focus on the immediate situation.

“Anything else Severus?” Voldemort asked, his hand now twitching and his finger tapping against his desk. His instincts were yelling at him to get to Harry to make sure he was alright, even though he knew for a fact that Harry was fine. 

His red eyes narrowed as the man standing across from his desk hesitated. That sort of behavior could only mean one thing; it had to do with Harry. 

“Speak freely Severus.” 

The man across from him swallowed hard and had he been weaker, Voldemort was sure he would have been swallowing hard. 

“It’s about Potter, my Lord.” Worry filled Severus as he debated on whether or not to speak. Even with those words, before he even said what he was thinking, he could see how the Dark Lord was tensing. “He asked me about his mother during our lesson on Saturday.” 

Voldemort’s brows came together in confusion. This was not at all where he thought Severus would go. 

“He might not say as much, but I know the boy is feeling a great deal of worry and guilt about both his inheritance and in what direction his life is going.” After the questions that Harry had asked him, Severus had easily figured out what was bothering the boy. “I believe if he had someone to talk to, someone that he knew could understand his situation, someone that he would see as family, Harry will make great strides in moving forward in his life.”

The idea had merit, but who in the world could Voldemort even get to talk to the young submissive? It wasn’t like he could bring people back from the dead, at least not really. Even if he tried, whoever he brought back would just be a weak imitation of the real thing. And Voldemort was very sure that was exactly what Harry did not need. 

“And who would you suggest Severusss?” Voldemort sneered and hissed angrily. “The Weasleys perhaps? The muggles that abused him?” Those were the only people Voldemort could think of that would have any sort of familial connection to Harry. “Or perhaps I should dable in necromancy and bring him the empty shell of his godfather?

Severus swallowed hard and steeled himself for what he was about to suggest. His Lord had given him permission to speak freely, but that didn’t mean Lord Voldemort wouldn’t crucio him at the drop of a hat. 

“I was thinking more along the lines of Remus Lupin.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So February was both a productive and not so productive month. I got our house packed up (about 90%) and the movers moved the furniture and everything that was packed. We then moved the rest of the stuff (computers, valuables, breakables, etc) ourselves. We're still cleaning up the old house and unpacking everything in the new house, but we're at a point where I can slow down and not rush about doing everything. 
> 
> The unproductive side of things is that I wasn't able to get much writing done at all, so I wasn't able to add to my buffer. But now that I'm less stressed, I should definitely be able to find time to write again! Once the new house is cleaned up I'll be able to take pictures of our new house to share over on tumblr. I'm still waiting on 1 piece of furniture and shelves to arrive so I can finish getting my office set up, but I know where everything is going at least. 
> 
> But I'm so very happy to be back! I've missed you guys this last month, but I'm glad I took the time off to focus on moving. I don't even want to imagine how stressed I could have been had I tried to write and pack at the same time. 
> 
> Oh! And a new fanart was made while I was on hiatus! [Art by The Sunny Side](https://ethrildragon.tumblr.com/post/643400462871199744/the-sunny-side)
> 
> That said, next update will be Monday the 8th of March. 
> 
> Next time: Severus tries to convince Voldemort pt 2. Voldemort comes to a decision. Greyback gets involved.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my beta readers Fire-and-folly and Shadycoffeeconsumer
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Find me on tumblr: [ethrildragon](https://ethrildragon.tumblr.com)
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Fanart: 
> 
> [ReaperJay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperJay/pseuds/ReaperJay) made an awesome drawing of [naga Harry](https://www.deviantart.com/reaper-jay/art/Naga-Harry-Potter-864496721?ga_submit_new=10%3A1608367938)
> 
> Also help-me-im-in-the-fandom over on Tumblr made a fanart of [Naga Voldemort and Naga Harry](https://ethrildragon.tumblr.com/post/635608546199928832/i-love-your-fanfic-snake-tails-and-serpent-scales) cuddling.
> 
> The Sunny Side made an awesome fanart of our favorite snake boys! [Voldemort and Harry](https://ethrildragon.tumblr.com/post/643400462871199744/the-sunny-side). Love those tails!


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